The Princess and the Toad
by Prince Thomas' Aunt
Summary: Way AU in which King George wants his daughter Snow White to marry the captain of his guards, who like his father knows all the Kings secrets. Only Snow White in love with King Leopold's son, Prince James. I union James' stepmother will stop at nothing to prevent. Right now the focus is on Snowing, but the story will eventually include the Huntsman and Emma.
1. Chapter 1

Way AU in which King George wants his daughter Snow White to marry the captain of his guards, who like his father knows all the Kings secrets. Only Snow White in love with King Leopold's son, Prince James. I union James' stepmother will stop at nothing to prevent. Right now the focus is on Snowing, but the story will eventually include the Huntsman and Emma.

Switching the kings around worked for this story. I wanted the Huntsman to be friends with Snow, but also to be a confidant for her father. The affair between George and seems to work better if she is James' stepmother. James is the natural son of Leopold in this story.

I claim no rights to these characters.

Chapter 1

At the tender age of 10 years old, Snow White did not understand the constant parade of women than regularly went through her father King George's bed chamber. It had started 5 years ago right after the death of her mother and the faces of the women had become a blur over the years. One had been a constant though, Queen Regina, the wife of King Leopold. It was Regina who now occupied the attention of her father. Regina had been at the castle for a week and she had brought her step-son Prince James.

Snow had never met a bigger toad than Prince James. He was 2 years older than her and he still acted like a baby. He was obnoxious and spoiled and no fun at all. As the only son of King Leopold he knew he would inherit a kingdom and he already behaved as if he were king. The whole week he had done nothing but complain about how bored he was. Never mind the fact that he did not want to do anything.

Snow had asked him to go on walks with her in the forest, it turned out that he hated nature. She had tried to engage him mock sword fights, but he always cried when her wooden sword hit him, even lightly. She had tried to get him to read her poetry, but he did not even want to do that either. Her mother had taught her to be a good host, but Prince James had tried her last bit of resolve.

All he wanted to do was to sit by the river and skip rocks and he could not even master that simple skill. Snow had learned how to skip a rock when she was 3. She had even tried to show him how to do it, but he was a very bad student.

Snow had been reading a book and she thought maybe something suggested with in its pages might help.

She snuck up on the surly Prince, turned him around until he was facing her and before he had time to protest she kissed him long and firmly on his pouting lips.

She brought the kiss when she ran out of breath. He had a dumbfound look on his face, but then he pushed her away. He gave her an angry look.

"What did you do that for?"

"I read in a book that if you kiss a frog you can sometimes turn him into a prince. I guess it doesn't work because you are still a frog." She shook her head sadly and started to walk away.

"It didn't work because I am already a prince!" He yelled at her retreating form." You are so stupid and you are ugly."

That stopped her in her tracks. No one had ever called her ugly.

"Excuse me?" She glared at him and marched back over to the side of the river.

"You heard me. You are so ugly that is why your mother died," He seethed.

He hit a very tender nerve and Snow wanted to cry, but she would not give him the satisfaction.

"You Prince James are a wart covered toad and that is why your mother died."

She picked up a rock and hit him squarely on the chin. It knocked him off of his rock and into the river. The last thing she saw was him floating down the river with blood dripping from his chin. He had a bewildered look on his face.

Snow White was running, out of breath down the corridor of the castle when William caught her by the arm. He was 4 years older than her. He was the son of Graham, who was her Father's huntsman and the captain of the palace guards. William was also her closest friend.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Snow franticly screamed at the top of her lungs.

William grabbed her around the waist. The fact that he was 6 inches taller than her gave him an advantage.

"Where do you think you are going, squirt?" He grinned.

"I have to see my father," Snow said, out of breath.

"He is still in his planning session with the Queen. My father is guarding the door." He gave her a helpless shrug.

"I have to see him, I think I might have killed Prince James," She said her voice tinged with exasperation.

"I just saw him and he is very much alive," William smirked. "He had a bloody jaw and probably an equally blood ego, but he will survive."

"Good, false alarm," She tried to slink off.

"Snow, what did you do?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"I might have hit him with a rock," She gave him a sly look.

"You did what?"

"And I pushed him in the river," She continued.

"You are going to start a war someday," He shook his head sadly.

"He insulted me and called me ugly and said that was why my mother died!" The princess crossed her arms and pouted.

"Might you have started it?" William gave her a scolding look.

"Fine, I called him a frog and told him that was why his mother died."

"He is a sniffling brat, but you cannot go around hitting every jerk you meet with rocks."

Snow looked towards the door of her father's chamber.

"What are they doing in there? They have been at it for hours.

William had his suspicions on what went on in the King's bedchamber, but it wasn't anything he could share with a 10 year old girl. He knew that his father knew all of King George's secrets. What an awful responsibility that was. He hoped it was one that he would never have to bear.

"I want to see what is going on in there." Snow White demanded impatiently.

"My dad is at the doorway, there is no way anyone is getting past him to get into that room." William informed her with authority in his voice.

Snow gave him a defiant look, "I don't have to go in the front door. I know a back way into the room. My mother showed me a secret passage."

She hurried off.

"Snow, come back!" He demanded to empty air.

The secret passage opened noiselessly and allowed Snow and William a good view of the chamber. They were shoulder to shoulder though. More important, they could clearly hear every word that was being said. Both the King and Regina were on his bed, both were partially clothed and they were drinking wine from goblets that had been used at the wedding between George and his now dead wife, Snow's mother. The princess had been shown them by her mother before the good Queen's death.

"George, you owe me a great deal." Regina was saying between sips of wine.

"I have treated you very well these past 5 years." He replied as he tried to kiss her.

William felt bile creeping up his throat. He wanted to shield Snow's eyes and hide the truth from her. It was too late. She was transfixed on the vile scene.

"Not enough to make up for the risk I took in poisoning that shrew of a woman you married!" Regina gave him a scandalous smile.

"What risk? You had a very successful trial run when you poisoned King Leopold's wife."

They both laughed

"What are they talking about?" Snow asked in a low sob.

"I think Regina killed your mother after she killed the mother of Prince James," William had said the words before he realized their full implications.

All the color drained from Snow's face and William felt her body go limp and slump against his body.

He dragged her out of the secret passage and left her seemingly lifeless form on the hallway floor. He ran to his father.

"Call the healing woman, there is something horribly wrong with Snow."

His father looked up and scowled, "This had better not be like the time that you tried to make me believe that you were seriously wounded by that fake arrow!"

"It is not anything like that, there is something wrong with her."

His father looked at the doorway to the King's chamber.

"Stand here boy and do not let anyone in that door."

The boy nodded, "Just hurry!"

The door opened and King George yelled with a deep, angry, booming voice, "Graham, what the hell is all the noise about?" He saw that it was not his loyal huntsman who was guarding the door, but the servants son.

"William, where is your father?" He asked short tempered.

"He has gone to get the healing woman, something has happened to Snow."

William nervously glanced down the hall as if he desperately wanted to follow his father and check on his dear friend.

"What is wrong with my daughter?" The King glared at William. "Did she fall out of a tree again or do something equally as stupid?"

"She collapsed your majesty." William stated slowly as if he were speaking to an idiot cow.

The king looked back into his chamber, were Regina was impatiently waiting for him. She had slipped off her gown and was beneath the bed covers. She was not going to be happy, but he had to check on his daughter. After all, he had a reputation as a doting father to uphold.

"Show where they have taken her," He said with far less enthusiasm than William thought the situation justified.

Prince James had not floated downstream too far before he was able to make his way to the river bank and climb out. He could taste the blood from the gash on his chin and he should have been angry. Yet, what he felt was much different. The sun was shining and its warmth felt good on his wet skin, he could hear birds engaged in a merry song and for once he did not want to pick up a rock and silence their chirps. The air was full of the scent of flowers and he was not sneezing. For the first time in a long time, Prince James was happy. Ever since his mother had died he had been a very sad little boy. Something, no make that someone had changed all of that. That someone was Snow White.

"I was wretched to her," He whispered out loud.

He had to find her and apologize. He was trudging through the riparian zone when William saw him and he had almost made it back to the castle when Graham found him.

"Where do you think you are going?" Asked the elder huntsman.

"I am going to the castle to apologize to Snow." James stated bravely.

"What did you do to her?" The angry booming voice of the authoritative adult asked. Graham was convinced that James was somehow responsible for Snow's state on health.

"I called her some names and she hit me with a rock and pushed me into the river," he replied defensively. "I want to tell her I am sorry what I said to her about her mother."

"Did you touch her?" The huntsman asked with a serious tone in his voice.

"No, I swear I never laid a finger on her. Is something wrong?" James asked franticly.

"She collapsed in the palace. No one is sure what happened." He turned to head back to the palace. James had to run to keep up.

"Sir, may I please see her?" The young prince pleaded.

"Yes, but do not touch her!" He warned. "If I see you try to harm her in any way, I will send you to the salt mines." There was a fierce protectiveness in the elder Huntsman's voice.

James wanted to explain that he would never hurt her because she had changed his life. He wanted to shout out to the world that he, Prince James loved Snow White. But he wasn't sure that was true. He was 12 years old, what did he know about love? He had loved his mother, but she had been gone a long time.

"You would send a 12 year old boy to the salt mines?" His eyes grew large with fear.

"In your case, with pleasure," The Huntsman sighed. "Just keep your hands to yourself."

James entered the room slowly. Snow had been placed on a bed and sunlight from a nearby window was streaming through and illuminated her so she looked like an angel. King George stood by her bedside with a pensive look on his face. The healing woman was bathing her forehead with a cool compress. The water in the bowl that she was using to wet the cloth smelled of flowers. Everyone was talking in soft whispers.

James approached the bed and his breath caught in his chest. She looked so frigile, the color had drained from her face and making her skin appear even more pale than her normal milk white pallor.

"Can you help her?" He asked the woman who was bathing Snow's forehead.

"I will certainly try." She replied with little hope in her voice.

He was about to lean over and kiss the unconscious princess. The huntsman had told him to keep his hands to himself, no one had mentioned lips. Suddenly the room became cold and dark. Regina stormed into the room and what had moments earlier felt like a sanctuary, suddenly felt to James like a tomb.

Regina was angry, George had kept her waiting far longer than she was accustom to going with out her own way.

"Come on James, we are leaving! I have already called for the carriage," She shot George an angry look. "Our business here is complete."

James gave his stepmother a desperate look, "Snow is sick and we have to stay to make sure she is alright."

"We will do no such thing; we have already been here long enough," She snapped. "If I leave your father alone for too long he does stupid things like form alliances with King Stefan!"

"At least let me say goodbye." He begged.

Regina cast her gaze towards the seemingly lifeless Princess.

"She can't hear you, what would be the use in saying anything to her?" She shook her head sadly.

"I meant to William," James quickly lied.

William gave him a puzzled look. They had hardly become friends in the time that Prince James had been staying in the Palace. In fact, William could hardly remember the two of them exchanging more than 10 words in the past 7 days.

James drew William aside where none of the adults could see what he was doing. He took a gold chain from around his neck. On the chain was a ring with a shiny stone set in the middle. James kissed the ring with reverence and then he gave the chain with the ring to William.

"Give this to Snow," James pleaded. "The ring belonged to my mother. It will protect her."

William closed his hand around the ring to hide it from view and nodded his head in the affirmative.

"James we are leaving now!" Regina seethed.

"I need to hear you promise that you will give her the ring." The prince demanded softly.

"I promise. Not now, there are too many people. I will come back to night and I will make sure she gets the ring," William vowed.

Regina gave George one last killer look and sashayed out of the room.

George turned to Graham and whispered, "Find something rare and exotic and have it sent to the Queen at King Leopold's Castle.

Graham nodded in agreement and understanding.

True to his word, later that night William slipped into Snow's chamber. There had been no change in her condition throughout the day and into the night. The healing woman was seated by her beside, but she had fallen asleep. William bent over the bed and placed the chain with the ring around Snow's neck. He waited, as if he expected some kind of magic to occure. He was not disappointed. Her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Where am I?" She asked.

"In your bed chamber, you need to get some rest."

"I feel like I have been asleep for days," She yawned.

She reached up and felt for the chain around her neck and pulled out the ring.

"What is this?" She asked as she stared at the ring. it was the most beautiful piece of jewlry she had ever seen. The stone caught the moon light and sent it dancing across the room.

"It is a gift from Prince James. It belonged to his mother and he said that it would prtect you."

"Then I shall never take it off," Snow vowed before she drifted off to sleep.

12 years later.

True to her promise of that night, Snow had worn the ring on the chain around her neck faithfully. She was in the royal carriage with her father and they were traveling to the Summer Palace the way they did every spring. Snow loved the Summer Palace, it had been her mother's dowry, a piece of property that her grandfather had given King George at the time of his marriage to Snow's mother. She loved the woods most of all, even though they were filled with Trolls. She loved most of all that those woods bordered the Kingdom of King Leopold. When she was in those woods she felt close to James, the man she had secretly loved since she was 10 years old. Never mind that she had not even laid eyes on him in 12 years, she loved him madly. Ever year when they came to the Summer Palace she hoped that it would be the year that she was reunited with her long lost love. She hoped it would be the year that she swept him off his feet and they lived happy ever after. Snow looked over at William who was seated beside her father and smiled at him. He was her best friend, more like a brother, and the only other person that knew of her yearning to be with James.

Prince James stood way back in the crowd and watched the royal procession was it went by on the way to the Summer Palace. He was wearing a rough woven cloak over his royal clothing in order to blend in with the crowd. He had watched Snow White's annual migration to her summer home for 12 years. Every year she grew more lovely and every year in fell deeper and deeper in love. The carriage stopped right in front of him and he could almost reach out and touch her. Every year he wanted to call out to her and make his presence known, but he could never find his voice. He hoped this year would be the year that he swept her off her feet and was able to tell her that he had spent the last 12 years trying to become the best man possible. He had worked hard to transform from the toad she had despised into someone she could be proud of and maybe even someone she could love.

The carriage began to move again and once more the woman he loved slipped from his grasp.

After writing the first chapter of this story, I am not sure how I feel about it. I started writing the description and realized the concept is really far out. The reaction I get may determine if I continue the story or not.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Ella was polishing the surface of a copper pot when she noticed James sneaking up on her. She put down the pot and rolled her eyes and braced herself. In a few seconds hands covered her eyes.

"Guess who?" Came the unmistakable voice of the young man whom she loved most in the world.

"Could it be Eric?" She teased

"Who is Eric?" James asked with concern in his voice.

She turned around and hugged him fiercely.

"I have missed you," she told him. "How was did the opening of the orphanage go?"

"It was wonderful to see all of the smiles on the faces of those children," He smiled brightly and the entire room lit up. "Ella, I wish you could have been there by my side."

"You know why I had to stay near the castle and near the village." She whispered.

He nodded, "Prince Thomas was there today. I wish that you would let me introduce you to him."

"For what purpose, I've already found my prince. There is only room in my life for you." She smiled wistfully.

He sighed, "Oh Ella."

King George was a very powerful man and like many before him that power came at a price. He had done dastardly deeds in order to become the leader of one of the most powerful kingdoms on earth. He had many secrets and one man knew where most of the bodies were buried, so to speak. That man was William who had become the Captain of the Palace Guard upon the death of his father, Graham. It was an awesome burden for the young man, one he would have done nearly anything to escape.

Now, he stood before the tyrannical ruler and wished that he could be anywhere else. He especially wished that he was with his new wife, Emma who was hidden away in a far off kingdom. William too had his secrets, things that he had to keep hidden even from his best friend, Snow White.

It was the alabaster skinned princess that was now the topic of conversation between him and the King.

"You understand the situation," The King demanded. "Every summer I am forced to turn away more and more suitors for my daughter's hand. I can not have just any man entering my private sanctum. The man she marries must have my fullest trust and there must be no doubt of his allegiance. You are the only man I would trust with the position. At the midsummer festival, your engagement to my daughter will be announced. Before we leave the Summer Palace in the autumn she will be your wife."

"I understand, your majesty," He reluctantly submitted.

"Another thing, Regina is unhappy with me again and is threatening to not come for the summer festival. Find something that will stun her and have it sent around."

He nodded his understanding, but had to fight back the bile rising in his throat.

William left his audience with George feeling sick to his stomach. Of all the wretched secrets he had to keep, the worst was the knowledge of the ongoing affair between King George and the wife of King Leopold. It was especially painful because he had known for 12 years that Regina killed Snow's mother. Fortunately, the Princess seemed to have blocked out that memory. He hoped she never remembered. But if Regina ever tried to hurt Snow, loyalty to the King would not prevent him from killing Regina.

He sighed at the thought of Snow. Even if she were not hopelessly in love with Prince James, how could he possibly marry her when he already had a wife? The only solution was to get Prince James and Snow White together by any means necessary.

"By any means necessary," William repeated to himself as he wrote out a personal invitation to Prince James asking, no more like tastefully begging him to attend the summer festival. He signed Snow's name to the bottom of the document. He found a page in the hall.

"Boy, I will give you a piece of gold if you will take this to King Leopold's castle across the river and personally make sure that it reaches the hand of Prince James."

He handed the gold piece and the letter to the page.

"Yes, sir!" The Page ran off in the direction of the river.

After all, in the game of love, what was a little deception between friends?

Snow White stood at the window of her bedroom looking out over the enchanted lake. She aimlessly fingered the ring which hung on a chain around her neck. She turned when she heard a footstep singling someone was entering her chamber. She smiled when she saw it was William, but her smile faded when she saw the forbidding expression on his face.

"What is it?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"I just left your father." He said with a serious tone in his voice.

"What does the Almighty King George want now?" There was serious sarcasm in her voice.

"He offered me your hand in marriage," He stated simple. "Rather, he demanded that I marry you, or else…" His voice trailed off.

"Or else what?" She demanded to know.

"The usual, banishment, being tossed in a dark cell to rot, a thousand deaths each one more painful than the next" He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"William, you are my best friend in the world and I love you. I would gladly marry you if only…"

He finished her thought, "If only Prince James had never been born?"

She smiled wistfully as she continued to stroke the ring, "Is it that obvious?"

"It is probably only obvious to me. You have worn that ring for 12 years. I have never seen you without it since the day that James gave it to me to give you."

"It's my protection. You told me so yourself that day."

"Snow, you are the bravest person I know. I have seen you shot a target with an arrow, blindfolded. You are a better shot than most men I have under my command. I have known you to go into the forest, by yourself for as much as a month at a time and survive on your wits alone. You don't need a ring for protection. We both know why you wear that ring."

"Because 12 years ago James gave me his Mother's ring and I have loved him ever since. Am I a fool?" She asked with pain in her voice.

"Love is never foolish," He answered her truthfully.

"It has been 12 years and he has not come back for me. He has been opening orphanages and helping widows and slaying dragons," she snorted sarcastically. "In short, he has been acting the part of Prince Charming towards everyone in the world except me!"

"His philanthropy is known far and wide." William shrugged.

"Every time I hear about one of his good deeds, I also hear about the golden haired woman who is there on his arm," She said angrily. "Part of me wants to take this ring and shove it in his pretty boy face."

"You haven't seen him in 12 years, how do you know he has a pretty face?" William asked with a smirk.

"The stories of his face are legendary!" She replied. "I should marry you, that would show him."

"You can't do that!" He protested.

"Why because true love has to triumph?" She rolled her eyes.

"No, because I am already married!" He shouted. He had not meant to tell her or maybe he had secretly wanted to, but it should not have come out like that.

Shock crossed her face.

"Oh William."

Ella smiled at her shocked friend.

"Relax James, you have been my best friend for as long as I can remember. You have been carrying torch for Snow White at least that long. I know that any feelings we share can not compete with that eternal flame."

She rolled her eyes

"Am I that obvious?" He asked.

"Probably only to me." His best friend answered.

"Ella, I saw her today. Every year she grows more and more beautiful. Her carriage passed by me as she traveled to the Summer Palace. I could almost have reached out and touched her," He sighed wistfully.

"Yet you did not reach out and touch her or call out to her did you?"

"No."

"James you are the bravest man I know, you are the slayer of over a dozen dragons, you have captured countless trolls and I have even seen you defeat a giant. Why is it that you lack the courage to let the woman that you love know your true feelings."

"To this day, I am not sure that I am good enough for her."

"Well, you better decide quickly. Your father received an invitation from King George to attend his annual summer festival and it was strongly hinted that the King intends to announce his daughter's engagement.

The color drained from his face.

"To whom is Snow engaged?" He whispered urgently.

"No one seems to know, but unless you have been up to something that I am unaware of, she is clearly on the cusp of marrying another man. Unless you go to the Summer Palace and declare your intentions, you have a good chance of losing her forever.

"I have no idea of she returns my feelings. What would I say to her?"

"I suggest that you write down your feelings in a letter."

"Will you take the letter to her?" He pleaded.

"If that is the only way, of course I will help you. I really think that you need to go to her though. 12 years is a long time to wait for love, but she might surprise you and return your feelings."

"Has my father accepted the invitation to attend the festival?"

"Of course, you know King Leopold loves a good party."

"Is my stepmother attending?"

"I think she has decided to skip the festivities this year for some reason."

"Good," he said under his breath.

"Is something worrying you?" His friend asked.

"I do not trust my stepmother. Have you ever noticed that any girl who has showed any kind of interest in me in the past has had something horrible fate befall her?" There was a hint of fear in his voice.

"Surely you are imagining things?" Ella laughed.

"Rapunzel got herself locked in a tower. The Gosse Girl disappeared and let us not forget what happened to Aurora!" He shuddered.

"James, you were not really interested in any of those women," She gave him a dismissive look.

"Regina did not know that!" He said with serious resignation in his voice.

"Regina spends more time over at King George's palace than she spends here and she has never threatened Snow."

"She does not know that I love George's daughter. Yet, you want me to declare my intentions and make my feelings known to the whole world? I have to think of the dangerous position in which I may be placing the woman I love." He sighed wearily.

"James, you have to try," Ella pleaded. She had grown weary of arguing with her all too stubborn friend. A change of subject was in order.

"Would you like something to eat? You must be hungry after your journey."

Ella started to prepare him cold meat and bread.

"Pack it for me. I am going to the forest to hunt. I just came back to the palace to change clothes before going out to the woods."

Ella rolled her eyes.

"Why do you bother? You always release whatever you catch."

"I like the hunt. It keeps me sharp."

He grabbed the packet of food she had prepared.

"Thanks Ella, you are the best!" He called over his shoulder as he left the kitchen

Ella watched him go and for the first time she realized that everything he did, from slaying dragons to hunting trolls, to trapping and releasing the animals of the forest, was all preparation. He had spent 12 years honing his skills to fight an enemy. She wondered if that enemy could really be living under their very roof. She shivered at the thought.

James changed his clothes and decided that maybe he should take Ella's advice and write down his feeling. He sat down at his desk, pulled out a sheet of paper and began to write.

My dearest Snow,

12 years ago I gave you my mother's ring and hope it has brought you the protection and happiness I wished for you that day and every day since. You may not know this, but 12 years ago I also gave you my heart. I fell deeply in love with you that day and not a moment has passed since then that I have not thought of you and yearned to have you by my side. I have spent every waking hour since that day working to become a man that you can love and respect. Every dragon that I have killed, and there have been many, I have done so in order to make the world a safer place for you, my love. I do not know if you are free to return my feelings or if you have any desire to do so. But know this to be true, wherever I am and for as long as I draw breath, my heart will ache to be with you, my soul will yearn to be united with you, my body will burn for your touch. If you feel the same, come to me at my father's castle and we will be together.

Yours always and forever,

Prince James

He looked at the letter that he had just written and suddenly feared that she might laugh at his declaration or worse yet think he was vain or boasting about all the dragons he had killed.

He took the piece of paper and waded it into a ball and was about to throw it into the fire and then he changed his mind and unfolded it. He sighed and placed the letter in a locked drawer. Maybe Ella was right and he was asking to much to expect that Snow White had any feelings for him after so many years. How could he place his heart on the line without seeing her first and assessing the situation? Maybe she had found someone else to love. After all there was no way she could know that he had been spending every waking moment of the last 12 years living his life for her.

He needed to get out of the castle and work off some of the tension that had been building since he had seen her earlier in that day. He needed to go to the one place where he always felt at ease. He needed to get to the forest. He was about to leave when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it and found a page standing in the door way holding an envelope.

"What do you have there, young man?" James asked

"I was asked to deliver this message from King George's court, sir."

Without looking at the page, he handed the boy a coin and quickly tore open the envelope.

His heart rate increased and he found it hard to breath. Snow White wanted to see him, after 12 years. She was personally asking him to come to her during the summer festival. Maybe she did have feelings for him after all. Maybe she was not planning on marrying another man. With a personal request in hand, how could he refuse her summons? With his heart filled with joy at the knowledge that the woman he loved might possibly return his feelings, he sat out for the forest.

Snow gave William a shove and a shocked expression crossed his face.

"How could you get married and not tell me?" She angrily demanded.

"I am sorry. I wanted to tell you, but the situation is complicated," He hung his head in shame.

"We are best friends; we should be able to share everything. Were you afraid that I would be jealous?"

"No of course not," He paused to study her for a moment. "Are you jealous?"

"Of course not," She answered truthfully. "I want you to be happy. I just wish that you would have allowed me to share in that happiness. I don't understand why you felt the need to keep this a secret from me of all people." She sighed.

"Emma, that is the name of my wife, is the heir to her kingdom. However, she has to wait another year before she can ascend to the throne. During that time, the threat of someone swooping in and stealing the crown is high. She cannot do anything that could cast a doubt over her ability to properly rule the kingdom."

He was pacing.

"How could being married possibly reflect negatively on her character?" Snow gave him a puzzled look.

"I am a commoner, the son of a huntsman turned palace guard."

"William, you are one of the most honorable men I know."

Snow gave him a serious look.

"We just do not want to give her detractors any ammunition to steal the crown. At least now you know why my marriage must remain a secret for the time being."

There was a pleading tone in his voice.

"I understand, to a certain extent, however if you could keep something this important from me, I cannot help but wonder about other secrets you may be keeping." She walked past him with purpose and vigor.

"Snow, where are you going?" He asked urgently.

"I need to think, I am going to the forest."

"At least take a weapon. There are reports that the trolls are roaming closer to the castle than ever before.

He called out to her fearfully and when she did not answer he walked to the balcony. He could see a large part of the forest from the overhang and would be able to see if there was any trouble. He also knew most of paths that Snow took.

He saw movement in the woods and could hardly believe his eyes. Then he could hardly believe his luck. Unless he was terribly mistaken, that was Prince James in the forest and headed in Snow's general direction. I plan began to form in William's head. It might be a little awkward James had already received the forged invitation. Hopefully, they would both be so overjoyed to see each other that they would fail to mention the invitation. He needed some gold. Fortunately King George allowed him unlimited access to the coffers so that he could buy gifts for the King's concubine. He went off to put in motion his plan, "Operation get Snow and James together and make them realize they were desperately in love and belonged together." He decided he really needed to think of a better name for his operation.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to all of my loyal readers.

As usual, I do not own these characters or the setting in which they live.

Chapter 3

William hated Trolls and he highly respected Prince James for his efforts at Troll removal. He handed the beast before him the small pouch of gold and then wiped his hand on his tunic.

"You understand what you are to do?"

"Yes yes, were are to attack Snow White and allow Prince James to rescue her."

"Knowing Snow as well as I do, she may be the one rescuing him. Now, do you know them both by sight?"

"Oh yes, we deal regularly with Prince James. We have a lucrative business arrangement with him."

"I thought he was anti troll?" William studied the creature carefully.

"He is and he regularly relocates some of our more troublesome members. Mostly though, he pays us well to not harass Snow White and other members of the community."

"You he pays you to keep the peace?" William was stunned. With all of the money that Prince James seemed to spend on other projects to help the less fortunate, it was surprising that he would have any left over to pay protection to the trolls.

"Keeping the forest safe must be pretty important to him," William stated.

"I guess this kind of negates our arrangement with him, but business is business." The troll cackled

"You are not to harm a hair on the head of the Princess or I will have your heart!"

"Funny, you sound just like him."

William dusted off his hands and walked off in disgust. The lengths he was willing to go to for a friend.

It turned out that William could have saved his gold. For Snow White found her own way to Prince James by getting snared in one of his net traps.

"Snow?" He whispered. "Snow!"

He said again with feeling in his voice.

"Yes, that is my name. Try not to over use it!" She snapped

Was it possible that she after all of these years she failed to recognize him?

"Do you know who I am?" He asked.

She looked down at him with disdain.

"Judging by your dress and appearance, I would say that you are a poacher who is trespassing on my father's lands and I should have you arrested. Now cut me down this instant and do not even think of trying to ransom me, because my father would likely not pay!"

He looked down at his clothes and saw nothing wrong with them. Was he supposed to go out in the woods in his royal tunic?

"First of all, what is wrong with the way I am dressed? Second of all, you are on King Leopold's land and last of all, are you sure you do not know me?" he gave her a hopeful look

"I do not hang around with rift raft!"

He looked up at her, still hanging in the net.

"You could have fooled me!" He smirked

"Cut me down this instant!" she said angry

He cut the rope and she plummeted to the ground. He tried to help her up, but she refused his hand. She really had no recollection of who he was and it broke his heart. It had clearly been too much to expect her to care for him after 12 years. So much for "True Love."

He tried to help her up, but she rebuffed his attempts.

"I got your invitation to the summer festival," He said shy. Prince James had slayed dragons, battled trolls and fought giants. Yet he found himself unable to communicate with the woman he loved.

She turned and gave him a shocked look.

"You must be delusional!" Why on earth would you even think that I would send you an invitation to the palace?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "I would rather dine with trolls!"

"As you wish is my command," He started to sulk off broken hearted. Maybe she really no longer loved him. She had made it more than clear that she had not invited him to the Summer Palace. It must have been someone's idea of a cruel joke. All the time he had wasted trying to be a better man, for her, and it had all been for nothing.

Snow watched him leave and she almost thought that she might have been too harsh. After all, there was something about him that did strike her as being familiar. She was about to call out to him to wait when she felt something grab her from the back. She spun around and came face to face with the biggest and ugliest troll she had ever seen. She reached for the dagger that she usually carried at her hip and found only an empty space. The troll saw the ring on the chain around her neck and grabbed it and then he held a knife to her neck.

It took James less than 30 seconds from the time that the troll grabbed her to react. He drew his sword and lunged at the troll and ran him through with his sword. The ring dropped from the creatures had and rolled to the ground. James picked it up and closed his hand around it protectively.

"You saved me," She looked at him with real gratitude in her eyes and for a moment his heart almost melted. Then he remembered how she had rejected him only a few moments before. James was convinced that in her eyes he was still the toad that she had rejected 12 years earlier

"Do not worry, it will never happen again," He told her, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, aren't you a regular Prince Charming?" She returned his barb with equal sting.

He turned to her and gave her a defeated look," Really I'm not and just for the record I decline your invitation to attend the summer festival, which you claim that you never made in the first place. It is the last place on earth I would ever want to be.

Snow flushed with mixed emotions. She was grateful to him for saving her life. She was angry that he kept insulted her and there was something other feeling that was creeping in as well. It was attraction. She was attracted to him. Those blue eyes that cut through to her soul made her tingle all over. The way he had smiled when he had heckled her about being caught in the net had made her heart beat a little faster. She refused to let him get the best of her though.

"Good, because you are the last person on earth that I would ever want to attend." She sneered.

"Fine and I am keeping the ring!" He put the chain around his neck mournfully.

Shock registered on her face," You can not do that!" There was genuine sorrow in her voice.

"Since you have no weapon and you are at least six inches shorter than I am, I really do not see how you can stop me." He turned to walk away into the forest.

"I will find you!" She vowed "Do you hear me Charming? I will always find you! I will get that ring back," She muttered under her breath.

William walked up just in time to see James walking away with a defeated look on his face and Snow stamping her foot in anger. It did not take long for him to realize things had gone very badly.

"What happened?"

"Where have you been, I could have used your help a few minutes ago."

"You seem to have come out alright."

"No thanks to you."

"Snow, do you know who that was?"

"Some poacher, I caught him trying to trap animals on King Leo's land."

"Are you serious? You really did not recognize him?"

"No, but he took the ring." She had tears in her eyes.

"No wonder, you just totally dissed your supposed true love, Prince James!" William informed her.

"No, that could not be James." She looked over her shoulder at where he had departed.

"Oh but it was."

"He sure has changed in the past 12 years. Why didn't he tell me who he was?" She asked in a miffed voice.

"If I know you, it was probably because you did not let him get a word in edge wise before you started flinging insults."

"He drives me crazy, William. He makes me feel so…" She stumbled on the words.

"Alive?" Her friend smiled knowingly.

"How did you know?" She gave him a concerned look.

"That is how love feels, it drives you crazy, but at the same time it makes everything in the world better, brighter and more intense."

"And now I have lost him, "She lamented. If I didn't recognize him, how do you know for sure that he is Prince James?" She asked with a note of hope in her voice.

"I recognized him as the guy who lurks in the shadows and watches our annual migration to the summer palace every year. He is the guy who looks so love sick as he watches you go by that I actually feel sorry for him every summer."

"Why are you just now telling me about this?"

"I thought you knew! Well, you probably don't have to worry about him any more. I have never seen a man with his heart in more pieces. You will probably never see him again"

"But I want to see him again," She sobbed. What am I going to do?"

"I am fresh out of ideas. I guess you will just have to use your feminine wiles to lure him back" William smirked.

"I do not even know if I have famine wiles," She sighed sadly. "Why was he under the impression that I had sent him a personal invitation to the summer festival?" She glared at her friend.

"It seems like a brilliant plan at the time." William shrugged.

"A lot of good it did. He hates me!" She sobbed.

"I don't think he would have been so heartbroken if unless her loved you dearly."

William gave her a reassuring hug.

James stormed into the castle in a huff. King Leopold looked up at his son.

"Good, you are back. I want you to cancel any plans you have for the rest of the month. We are leaving for King George's place at the end of the week."

He looked up at his father, "That is the last place on earth I want to be. I am not going!"

"You are going; I have already accepted the invitation on your behalf. Your stepmother refuses to go, she insists that she has to go and bath in the waters of Lake Nostos. King George is set to make some important announcement. What happens in his kingdom affects us because our kingdom boarders his lands. I need you there to support me, son."

"Father, with all due respect, I have just had the worst and strangest afternoon of my life. I am going to go to my room and contemplate if I want to end my life by taking hemlock or if I want to just throw myself off of a parapet."

He sulked out. King Leopold turned to his aid.

"Children can be so dramatic. Just in case though lock up the poisons and bar his window. Then make sure that he is packed and ready to leave for the summer palace. I am moving up our departure to this evening."

I really have tortured these two enough. They will be getting together in the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

I really need to stop reading the spoilers for season 2 of OUAT because they are breaking my Snowing loving heart. I may just have to move into this forum permanently and make fan fiction my new reality.

Thank you to everyone who continues to read my stories.

As always, I do not own these characters or their world.

Chapter 4

James sulked as they road across the river to King George's palace. He had only agreed to attend if Ella was allowed to accompany him. She sat across from them in the carriage enjoying the view.

"I love this road, so much nicer than the Troll road." She sighed.

The King smiled at her. He liked her and would not mind at all if his son made her his wife some day.

James let his mind wander. Since he killed the troll who had attacked Snow, he would probably have to renegotiate a new deal with the clan. No matter how angry he was with her, he could not let her be harmed. He still loved her, even if she wanted nothing to do with him. He would probably love her until the day he died.

He sighed heavily. It was going to be torture to be in the palace with her and know that they would never be together. It would be nearly intolerable to have to watch as King George announced her engagement to another man.

"James, stop sulking!" The King demanded.

"Why must you humiliate me by making me go somewhere that I am not wanted?" The prince answered back.

"Think of the years of humiliation I have suffered every time you have refused to accompany me to King George's Court!"

James ran his finger across the ring that was on the chain around his neck. This did not go unnoticed by his father.

"Is that the ring that belonged to your mother? I have not seen that in ages. I hope you have been keeping it in a safe place." He answered with sadness in his voice.

"I thought it was safe. I guess I was wrong." James folded his arms and continued to brood.

"I loved your mother dearly son. I hope that someday you too will find that kind of love." The king patted his son on the leg in encouragement and glanced at Ella again. She shook her head sadly at her friend who was so clearly aching for his perceived lost love.

They neared the palace and James' heart dropped into his stomach. He was anticipating the worst night of his life. He looked to Ella for sympathy, but she just rolled her eyes.

Snow White was having the worst night of her life. She stood in what seemed to her to be an endless receiving line as the royal court greeted guest after boring guest. Most of them were older nobles and the worst part was that she would be expected to engage them in conversation and dance with them later that night. William had snuck off somewhere, probably to spend quality time with his wife, so she did not even have him by her side to make fun of the dress of the noble women. To make things worse, she knew that James wasn't coming. He probably hated her and she had likely lost him forever.

The Page got ready to read the names of the next noble family. Snow did not even look up.

"Announcing King Leopold and his son and heir Prince James!" The young Page mumbled.

If it were possible to die of shock and joy, Princess Snow would have dropped dead on her feet. Her eyes locked with his and she felt her legs wobble. Dressed in his royal finery, he looked every bit like a Prince and she realized that he was incredibly handsome. She truly believed that she could get lost in the depths of his blue eyes.

When James saw her he literally could not breathe for what seemed like an eternity. She was a vision of pure beauty in a light blue strapless dress covered in fabric flowers and butterflies. Her hair was up off of her neck, but a few loose pieces framed her face. Her red lips made her skin seem even more pale than normal, it was almost translucent. He was reminded of that angel of pure splendor he a had gazed upon 12 years earlier when he had seen her lying seemingly lifeless in her bed chamber. He had fallen in love with her at that moment and now he would have thought it impossible, but he was falling deeper in love with her even more. He had to look away from her and cast his eyes down or he felt sure his heart would shatter into tiny pieces.

When Leopold and James reached her, they each kissed her on both cheeks as all of the other nobles had done. Snow was not sure it was wishful thinking, but she was sure that when James kissed her cheeks, he lingered a few seconds longer then decorum allowed. The warmth from those kisses spread through her body.

James felt his body tingle at being so close to her. She smelled like flowers and her cheek was so soft. He wanted to kiss her lips. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let go. He wanted to kiss her neck and lovely exposed shoulders. He wanted to throw her on the floor in the middle of the grand chamber and do maddening things to her. Things that his imagination had not even perceived but that he was sure his mind would conjure up during the evening.

King Leo told her that she grew more beautiful every year and she thanked him kindly. She hoped James would say something. Little did she know that he could not find his breath to speak.

She would have less than a minute left in which to speak to him and she had to make every second count. He refused to meet her eyes with his own.

"In the forest, I did not know it was you. James, you have changed so much in 12 year I swear I did not recognize you." She pleaded with him to acknowledge her in some way.

He still refused to look her in the eyes. The crowd was threatening to push him on to the next person in the receiving line.

Snow leaned over and whispered in his ear the three most brazen words he had ever heard.

"I want you, Charming."

She did not tell him that she loved him or needed him. She did not even say she was sorry. She said those three heavily suggestive and charged words. Whatever affect she was hoping to achieve, happened. He flushed hot and blood rushed to places in his body that he had forgotten existed. By the time he recovered from the shock, the crowd had pushed him several places down the line away from the Princess. He looked back at her and from the look on her face, a mixture of lust and adoration; there was no doubt of her intentions. He gave her a warm smile to let her know that all was forgiven.

They both spent the rest of the evening in a daze. They were each placed as far away as possible form the other at the banquet table. As far as they were concerned, they might as well have been in different realms. Neither of them was able to eat more than a few bites of food and what they did eat, they did not taste. The wine was probably of the best vintage, but they might as well have been drinking water. They were both kept apart on the dance floor by the surging crowd. She was forced to dance with aging nobles. He spent the evening with one boring heiress after another. They were able to exchange small smiles and looks of longing. At one point he maneuvered his dance partner close to Snow and her partner. "You are stunning!" He told her and the smile he received in return almost made the meandering evening worthwhile.

As the evening wounded down a servant appeared to escort James and his Father to their respective rooms. James took one last look around the ballroom hoping to spot Snow White, but she had already been led to her bedchamber by her lady in waiting. Once they were settled in their rooms, James knew that there was a slight chance that he would be able to sneak out and see Snow. If only he could remember which room was hers. It had been 12 years and she might not even still have the same bedchamber as she had when she was 10. All he needed was to accidentally stumble into the room of some random noble woman. That would surely get him sent home.

Snow White was pacing in her room. She could not sleep and she could not stop thinking about James. How striking he looked and how she had wanted to be in his arms all night She has sent down to the kitchen for a cup of hot coco, which she often drank when she needed to calm herself. There was a knock on the door and a small blond entered the room carrying a cup.

"Your coco, you majesty." The girl curtsied.

Snow took the cup.

"I have not seen you before are you new?" Snow asked.

"I work at King Leopold's castle. The kitchen staff was very busy and so I volunteered to bring you your coco. My name is Ella."

Snow smiled as she sipped the hot drink.

"Thank you. It is a little unusual for guests to bring their own kitchen staff is the King afraid my father might be trying the poison him?"

Ella laughed, she always figured King Leopold was still alive because George needed him alive for some reason.

"This is good."

"It has cinnamon in it. That is how James prefers it." Ella watched her reaction. She had always told James that if a woman was willing to drink her hot chocolate the way he liked it, she was a keeper.

"Do you know James well?" Snow asked.

"We have been friends for some time." Ella replied.

"Is he spoken for?" Snow asked hastily and then regretted the question.

Ella forgot who she was talking to for a moment.

"Is he ever!" She rolled her eyes

Snow almost dropped the cup. She walked out on the balcony and looked up at the stars.

"I did not mean that he was engaged or anything." She tried to backtrack and decided that it would be best that she left.

"Do you need anything else?" Ella asked as she tried to back out of the room. James was going to kill her!

"What do you know about the stars?" Snow asked as she looked up at the night sky.

"Very little, you should ask James. He spends a great deal of time outside at night."

"The last time he was here he hated the outdoors." Snow gave her a puzzled look.

"Prince James has changed a lot in the last 12 years." Ella shrugged.

Snow wondered how this kitchen maid knew it had been 12 years since James had visited the Summer Palace.

The two of them gazed up at the stars.

As if on cue at the mention of his name, James rushed into the room, picked up two cloaks and threw them over the women.

"What do you think you are doing out there? Do you not know that the light attracts dragons?"

He forcefully pulled them both into the room.

"I think I should be getting back to the kitchen." Ella made a hasty retreat.

"Come back soon and we can talk more." Snow called after her.

James and Snow stood entranced for a few moments as if time had stopped and then they were instantly in each others arms. They did not know how it happened, one moment there was distance between them and then in the next second they were wrapped tightly in an embrace.

"Charming!" Snow called out urgently.

The kissed each other with a breath stealing passion, hanging on to each other tightly. They only broke the kiss when each of them could no longer feel their own lips.

"Charming." She repeated softer.

"That is my name. Don't wear it out." He gently teased as he kissed her bottom lip. These were no longer the kisses of a 10 and 12 year old. They were sweet and long and as they became more comfortable with each other, the kisses became more intimate. James stared by gently biting her lower lip and when she did not object he ran his tongue across her top lip teasingly, when she gasped with pleasure he became bolder and slipped his tongue into her mouth. Snow was convinced that if you could die of happiness, she would not mind dying in his arms at that moment.

She sighed with contentment," I am so sorry about what happened in the forest."

"Think nothing of it. What you said in the receiving line?" He gave her a serious look.

"I wanted to get your attention." She said slyly.

"You have my full attention." He kissed her again blissfully. They had their eyes shut tightly blocking out everything around them and concentrating only on each other.

She had removed the cloak that he had thrown over her and James was able to really take a good look at her. A gleeful smile crossed his face.

"You are beautiful, Snow White!"

"You are not so bad yourself Prince James!" She blushed.

They both laughed blissfully.

"Until this night I have never known what it means to be truly happy." He whispered into her hair.

She walked to the edge of the balcony, but did not go outside. She looked up longingly at the stars.

"Before she died my mother named a star for me. This is always the clearest night of the year. I always look for it on this night." Snow told him.

A look of realization crossed his face.

"Is that what you were doing outside with Ella?" He asked affectionately.

"Yes, only tonight I saw a shooting star and I wished on it instead." She gave him a tender smile.

Moonlight streamed into the room from the open balcony door and she glowed. He decided that she was even more beautiful than she had been a few hours earlier.

He took both her hands in his own and gazed deeply into her eyes.

"Is it proper for me to ask what you wished for?" He asked her with a hint of playfulness in his voice.

"I wished to be with you, always." She answered in a straightforward manner.

"Then I guess we both got our wish." He whispered as her kissed her neck and shoulders. She melted into his arms. He fully intended to do to her many of the things he had been dying to do to her all evening.

"Did you see the star and wish on it as well?" She asked with her voice full of hope.

"No. I did not have to. I have carried the wish to be with you in my heart for 12 years."

His words were filled with so much love and his voice held so much passion that it made her heart beat a little faster and her face flush with a warm glow.

He was holding on to her so tightly that she could hardly breathe. Yet she did not want him to let go.

"Snow, I love you with all of my heart!" he was shaking with fear because he was about to put his whole heart on the line and there was always the possibility that she might reject him. "Snow, I know your father plans to announce your engagement in the next few days." It nearly broke his heart to even say those words.

"James." She whispered softly. She ran her fingers across the back of his neck in a reassuring manner.

"Is it possible that we can still be together?" He pleaded.

She tilted her head to one side and gave him a puzzled look. How could he even think he needed to ask that question? Had she made it clear that she loved him, and yearned to be with him with every fiber of her being? She was about to answer but she never had the chance.

"Snow, what do you think you are doing?" The angry voice of King George pierced through the calm that had surrounded the room seconds before. "Your betrothed is waiting downstairs."

"This cannot be happening!" James groaned softly.

Snow gave him an apologetic look and whispered to him, "Wait for me!" As her father grabbed her by a wrist and forcibly dragged her out of the room. She mouthed something to James that resembled the words, "I love you." He could not be sure though.

The next chapter is almost half finished, so it should be up very soon. I almost posted everything that was written, but it would have been one very long chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Snow knew she was going to have to explain the William situation to James as soon as possible. She had waited too long to have him in her arms, she was not going to let another misunderstanding keep them apart.

King George thrust her into the room and she hugged William. When her father had left the two of them alone she asked quietly, "So how is Emma?"

William blushed, which she had never seen him do before.

"I left her very well, thank you." He gave her and concerned look, "Snow what have you been doing and who have you been doing it with?" His voice held the authority of a concerned brother.

"What makes you think I have been doing anything unusual?" She asked innocently.

"First of all, your cheeks are flushed, you are out of breath, you are glowing and your breasts are perky!"

He cast his eyes downward.

She instinctively crossed her arms across her chest. How could she not have noticed how being with James had physically affected her? Had her father noticed?

"You are a married man, what are you doing looking at my breasts?" She whispered

"You wanted to know how I knew that you had been excited tonight!" He tried to stifle a laugh.

I was just with James if you must know!" She scolded. She still stood with her arms crossed across her chest.

"He is here after all? What did he do to you?" William asked in a protective voice.

"He kissed me and he wants us to be together."

William laughed, "It must have been one hell of a kiss?"

"It was a series of them and yes they were pretty amazing!" She replied blissfully. "I have never experienced anything as wonderful."

"You have to be careful, Snow." He warned her sternly.

"Whatever do you mean?" She gave him a puzzled look.

"You have not seen him in 12 years. Even then you knew him for less than 10 days. I can see how he has affected you. I just want you to think before you do something that you might regret someday."

"William, I love him and he told me that he loves me as well." She said stubbornly.

"I am afraid that you have built him into a fantasy over the last 12 years and he will not be able to live up to that in real life. Men will say a lot of things if they think that it will get them what they want."

"Is that the way it was with you and Emma?" She asked angrily.

"No, but I knew her more than 2 weeks before I married her." He shot back.

"James is a good man. Everyone in the kingdom would attest to that fact. You were the one who said that he is renowned for his generously and bravery. Plus he saved me from the troll attack!" She pointed out.

"He has been in league with the trolls for years!" William shouted.

"I find that hard to believe, he is not a troll sympathizer!" She said with certainty.

"No, but he has been paying them protection money to make sure they do not attack travelers." He admitted.

"How nefarious of him!" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "You were his biggest supporter a few days ago, what changed?"

"I just want you to be sure that the man you give yourself to deserves that honor. Also, you have to realize King George is not going to like being defied. Both of your lives may be in danger if you are not cautious." He warned.

Snow considered his words very carefully as she chewed on her bottom lip, "We will be careful." She guaranteed her friend.

James paced around the room that the woman he loved more than life had just left. He would wait for her to return and try his best to talk her out of marrying someone else. The door opened and Ella came in the room.

"James, I am so sorry. I tried my best to delay the King." She sadly informed her friend.

"It is not your fault! "He sighed and kicked the foot of her bed. It only made his foot hurt. Which was nothing compared to the ache in his heart at the thought of Snow with another man. He sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands.

"Ella, she told me that she wants me and I told her that I love her. That has to count for something." He sighed.

"I am sure that it does!" His friend said in a reassuring voice as she patted his arm.

The door opened again and King George stood on the threshold of the room.

"Prince James, you seem to have lost your way to your own room. I am here to escort you back there. This place can be dangerous at night, so I am posting a servant outside of your bedchamber door to make sure that you do not wander off again. I would hate to see an accident befall you."

He indicated for James to follow him out of the room.

"Is that a thinly veiled threat?" James asked with indignation tainting his voice. "I am not sure what kind of host threatens his guests."

"I am a host who values the safety of his guests. I would hate to see you wander off and get lost in the woods. They can be dangerous at night" The King answered sternly.

"With all due respect, your Majesty, I know these woods like I know my own back yard."

James did not budge from the room.

Ella watched the battle of wills between the two men with interest.

"Yes, mainly because I have shared an open boundary policy with your father in regards to my lands which lie alongside his own. I would hate to see those arrangements deteriorate." His threat was no longer veiled.

James knew that many of the people who lived along the borderlands between the two kingdoms depended on being able to hunt and fish and gather wood in both kingdoms without having to worry about the boundary. King George was threatening the livelihood of the subjects of both kingdoms. While James hated such bullying tactics, he also knew that being stubborn was not the answer. He reluctantly followed the King out of the room. The King turned and looked back into the room where Ella was busy arranging the covers on the bed.

"You may leave as well." He informed her sternly.

"The Princess asked me to help her change into her night dress; the gown she wore tonight is rather complicated." She made a slight bow to the King.

"My daughter has not had more than a few moments with her fiancé in several weeks. I am sure when they return to her room they will wish to be alone. He is more than capable of helping her out of her dress."

James nearly stumbled in shock. Surely what the King was implying was not true. His heart ached at the thought of Snow being intimate with another man. Besides, how could her father possibly condone such an arrangement?" James leaned against the wall for support because he could no longer feel his legs beneath him.

"If the Princess wishes to be left alone when she returns, she can dismiss me herself." Ella replied firmly.

King George and the prince had been gone less than 5 minutes when Snow returned out of breathe to her room. She looked startled and disappointed to find only Ella in the bedchamber.

"Ella,where is James?" She asked with fear in her voice.

"Your father returned and escorted him back to his own room, but not before he made disparaging reverences to the fact that you probably would want to spend the night in the arms of your fiancé!"

"What nonsense!" Snow stated angrily. "Does my father think so little of my reputation that he is willing to spread lies about my virtue?" She paced the room irately, wringing her hands in the process.

"Then it is a lie?" Ella asked relieved.

"Of course it is a lie. I am in love with James and have been for years. If I am to spend time in the arms of any man, I want it to be him." She sighed blissfully. "In fact, I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life in his arms." A frightened look crossed her face. "Did James believe my father?"

Ella sighed, "He does not know what to believe."

"I have to go to him and tell him everything." She said urgently. "Will you help me get ready?"

Ella helped the smitten princess out of her dress and into her night gown.

"That could prove difficult since your father threatened to post a servant outside his door." She took the pins out that had held Snow's hair up in a twist and the dark tresses fell around her shoulders.

Snow bit her bottom lip in concentration.

"Is the room that my father assigned James on this side of the hall or the other?"

Ella thought for a moment.

"This side of the hall, four doors down."

A smile crossed Snow's face.

"That is no problem. The secret passage that leads from my room will take me directly to his. If my father tries to enter this room, can you find a way to stall him?"

"I will do my best, but I did a terrible job of keeping your father away from the two of you earlier this evening." She sadly admitted.

Snow studied the other woman.

"You love James?"

"Of course I do, I have known him all my life. He loves you with all that he is though, so you need not worry about me. He is a wonderful man, generous, loving, loyal, brave and he is not hard on the eyes either." Ella sighed wistfully.

"He is drop dead gorgeous!" Snow exclaimed excitedly, "Which is fortunate since I had not laid eyes on him for 12 years. I would have loved him anyway, but the fact that he is attractive makes being in love with him so much more fun!" She laughed excitedly. "How do you know he loves me?" She asked.

"Because he has been living his life trying to be a man worthy of your love for the past 12 years! Every good deed that he has done and every dragon he has slayed he has done so in the hopes that you would notice him and fall in love with him! I have never seen a man more devoted to a woman or more in love."

Snow sighed with contentment. Ella had no reason to lie to her about the way that James felt. In fact it was in her best interest that they not get together.

Ella helped her brush out her hair and when they were both convinced that she looked her best, Snow slipped through the secret passage.

Snow stuck her head back into the room, "Wish me luck!"

"I wish you both love and happiness." Ella whispered as the passage door closed.

James was lying in bed when the secret passage opened. He had been trying to sleep, but he could not stop thinking about Snow White and what she might be doing with some other man a few doors down. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out his own thoughts. When he opened his eyes she stood before him as if by magic looking breath taking. Her hair was down and fell across her shoulders in a cascade of waves. She was wearing a thin cotton gown that fit her perfectly.

"Charming!" She called out in a low whisper.

"You have to stop doing that!" He pleaded.

"What is it I have to stop doing?" She asked puzzled.

"You need to stop looking more beautiful every time I see you! There is only so much a man can take. You should not be here though, it is not proper" he sighed.

She wanted to tell him that she did not care about what was or was not proper.

"I have to explain to you about William."

He gasped in astonishment, "You are to be married to William? He is not even nobility!"

"James, don't be such a snob! My father has threatened to have him killed if he does not marry me!" She explained excitedly.

"What does your father hope to gain, not lands or an alliance."

"No, he wants someone to keep his secrets. William knows more than his share of my father's secrets. He wants to use me to create a bond of secrecy."

"Do you love him?" He asked hesitantly. Part of him did not want to know the answer.

"Of course I love him. He is my best friend. At the same time I have to make my own choices and I choose you."

"Are you sure?" He asked timidly.

"I am dead serious, that is how sure. Plus William is married already." She gave him a sultry look, "I love you and I think we should continue that astronomy lesion we started earlier this evening."

He looked incredibly pleased at the suggestion. "Of course, give me a second though and would you hand me my pants?"

She looked around and found his clothes folded on a chair. His sword was there as well.

She handed him his pants and watched as he slipped out of bed. Through the thin curtain that surrounded his bed she could see clearly that he was not wearing a stich of clothing. He was gloriously naked. She felt her knees buckle and she had to hold onto the wall for support. She also found that she could not speak. When she finally found her voice she asked. "Do you always sleep like that?"

He laughed, "Unless I am outside on the battle field. I am a knight, do you think I sleep in a gown?" He slipped on his pants.

"I had never thought about it." She freely admitted.

She would think about it now though, she would think about it a great deal. In fact she was not sure she would be able to think of anything else.

He took her hand in his and led her back out to the balcony where they could see the stars. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his bare chest. She could feel the warmth of his body through her thin summer gown. He took her arm and pointed to the night skye.

"I think the star you are looking for is right there!" He whispered into her hair and her whole body shuddered.

"How do you know that is my star?" She asked softly.

"Because that is the brightest and most beautiful star in the night sky and were I to choose one for you, it would be that one." He voice was a smooth as silk and as mesmerizing.

"Now I know." She replied sweetly.

"Now we both know," He whispered in her ear, "If we are ever apart you will know that I will be looking at your star and thinking of you."

"You say the sweetest things." She smiled.

He could tell by the way she was holding her head and the way she was relaxed in his arms that she was happy. He wanted to see the happiness in her eyes so he turned her around until he could see the blissful look on her face. He kissed her tenderly.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Her fingers brushed against the chain around his neck from which hung the ring. He felt her body grow tense in his embrace. He broke the kiss and gave her a worried look. Then he noticed her gaze was focused on the ring.

He took the chain off of his neck and slipped it back around her neck.

"Are you sure?" She asked him an optimistic look.

"Yes. I took it away from you in a heated moment. It has always belonged to you as my heart has always been yours. Someday soon I hope to be able to place the ring on your finger. If you will have me?" He looked at her with hope and love filling his eyes.

"Of course I will have you!" Tears of joy filled her eyes. "If but for the guard outside your door tonight, I would have you at this very moment." She gave him lust filled look.

His eyes widened in surprise and a smile lit up his face.

She nervously played with a piece of her loose hair. This was the second time that night that she had boldly admitted that she had a strong physical desire to be with him. If he had not gotten the message she figured she was going to have to do something really brash and appear naked in the bed the following night.

He gently cupped her face with his hands and gave her a lingering kiss. He was not sure what he was going to do with her. He was used to women offering themselves to him and not being the slightest bit interested. Here was a woman who he wanted very much and who clearly wanted him, but he was bound by a code of honor that told him they should not be together as long as she was bound to another even if it was a false promise between her and William.

At the moment he decided he would just revel in the fact that he had the woman he loved in his arms and they would worry about the rest later. They were so wrapped up in each other that they failed to see the dragon approach and only when they heard it screech did they pull away from each other.

Instinctively, he pushed her behind him and back into the room for protection. She saw his sword and ran for it.

"Charming!" She called to get his attention and then threw him the sword. He caught it with one hand and gave her a look of absolute adoration before he turned to face the beast. The dragon came at him feet first with claws extended. It clawed at his shoulder and he winched in pain. Snow stood transfixed in horror. It swooped around and came at him again this time head first. He swung the sword and managed to hit it in the neck. The body of the dragon dropped, followed by its head a few seconds later. She ran to him and embraced him tightly. Only then did she notice his shoulder was bleeding profusely.

"You are hurt!" She exclaimed.

"it is only a scratch." He insisted.

The noise had brought the guard and half of the castle. King George was standing in the doorway and he was angry.

"Prince James, I see I will have to have you imprisoned for attempting to seduce my daughter!"

"No!" Snow yelled out. "He saved me! He saved the whole palace from the dragon!" She was still clinging to James, who was losing more blood by the second.

King George actually seemed pleased. "Good we will have dragon for dinner tomorrow night!" He turned to his guards. "Retrieve the beast and have it sent to the kitchen."

"I hate dragon for dinner!" James mumbled as he slipped from her arms and landed on the floor in the pooling blood. King Leopold rushed to his side in horror and Snow turned deathly white. She looked down at her gown and noticed it was stained with his blood.


	6. The Princess and the Toad Chapter 6

6 chapters and counting! Not bad for a story that I originally thought might be to off the wall to continue.

Thanks to all those who continue to read, favor and follow this story.

I do not own these characters, I am merely borrowing them.

Chapter 6

Snow was trying to support James as best she could, but he was dead weight in her arms. King Leopold gently placed his hands under the body of his son. Snow looked up at the gathered crowd with eyes filled with terror.

"Someone please get him some help!" She pleaded.

"I'll go!" William volunteered.

Snow wondered what was wrong with the rest of the gathered crowd. Would they actually let the man who had just saved the castle from a dragon attack bleed to death? She looked up at their assembled faces. Some of them had been familiar to her since childhood, but she realized that she hardly knew them. They were the nobility, but if the current situation was any indication, they were far from noble.

She exchanged a worried look with King Leopold.

"The wounds do not look that deep," The King assured her, "I think James will be fine."

"Why is he unconscious?" She asked out of breath.

"It could be that his is in shock or his he is simply exhausted." The King gave her a sympathetic look, "You look worse than he does, perhaps you should wait outside."

Some of the bystanders had now brought pillows and blankets to prop up the prince. King Leopold helped Snow to her feet.

"You will make sure that he is taken care of?" She asked franticly.

"Of course, he is my son." The King reassured her before he handed her to a servant who escorted her back to her room.

Ella was asleep in a chair when Snow came in the room. The princess crossed in front of a mirror and caught her reflection. Her hair was a mess and her dress was stained with blood. She started to shake and sob.

"Snow, what happed? You are covered in blood." Ella rose to her feet.

"A dragon attacked the castle and it was slayed by James. This is his blood!" She continued to tremble in desperation as tears spilled from her eyes.

"He is very good at slaying dragons," Ella reminded her as she led Snow to the dressing table. "Let's get you cleaned up and then you can go and check on him."

Snow shook her head, she had not realized how scared she really was until she sat down. Ella brought a basin of water and helped Snow to clean up. She helped her into a clean gown.

"Ella, I will stay with James tonight. You should get some rest though. The kitchen will be very busy tomorrow preparing for the banquet." Snow said softly.

"Is that the banquet were your father intends to announce your engagement to another man?" Ella asked, clearly perturbed.

"Yes," Snow sadly admitted. "Unfortunately, that cannot be helped at the moment."

"You know, if James survives this dragon attack, seeing you betrothed to another man is going to kill him!"

A look of sadness and guilt crossed Snow's face. "I guess we both better pray that my wedding feast does not turn into a funeral banquet for James."

The Princess found King Leopold pacing in the hallway. William was standing outside the doorway to the Prince's room.

"How is James?" She asked with great concern in her voice.

"He needs rest, but otherwise he should be fine in a day or two. Most of the blood belonged to the dragon."

"can I see him?" She tried to keep the pleading out of her voice. After all he was a guest in her home. There was no reason she should not show concern.

"The doctor is in with him now bandaging his wounds. He gave him some valerian to calm his anxiety. James was very concerned about you safety." The King gave her a suspicious look.

"At least he was conscious. I was in the room with him when the dragon attacked." Snow reminded him.

"Why were you in his room?" The King asked.

"I was making sure that he did not need anything before I retired to bed." She stated innocently.

"You often check on your guests need personally." King Leopold asked.

"I think she is more than willing to personally see to any of his many needs." William tried to cover a smirk.

Snow shot him an angry look, "Why is a doctor tending to James? Where is the healing woman?"

"She was delivering a baby," William explained "I found a doctor who just happen to be passing by though."

Snow opened the door and was surprised to see a small man with a beard, wearing a knitted hat on his head and glasses perched on his nose.

Snow stood opened mouthed in the doorway, "You're a..."She stammered.

"I am a dwarf, doc is the name." The little man replied as he tended to his patient.

"Is that your name or your profession?" She asked skeptically.

He turned to face her, seething, "You clearly do not know much about dwarfs. We believe in predestination. When I dwarf is hatched he is given a name and that name determines his path in life.'

"Do you have any real medical training though? I don't know you, so why should I trust? The healing woman delivered me. I trust her." Snow exchanged a look with William who was standing in the doorway.

"She isn't here and I am. Besides, I owe Prince James, as do my brothers. Dwarfs used to be hatched in order to mine diamonds for the kingdom. Prince James automated the mining process, now we are free to live our lives without fear of servitude. There is no one better equipped to take care of him than a man who owes him his life."

He said this with such authority that Snow was left momentarily speechless.

"Now, I have cleaned his wounds and given him something to relax him, "Doc continued, "He should sleep through the night. The gashes were not too deep, but I did have to apply several stiches. I would like to check on him in the morning. Is there a nearby inn where I can spend tonight?"

"You can stay here," Snow offered, "We have plenty of room and it will also keep you close at hand if he needs you during the night."

"Your offer is very generous." Was all the little man said.

"William, find him a room." Snow indicated the door.

"What do you intend to do, Snow?" he asked through gritted teeth.

She sighed in resignation, "I intend to sleep in that chair and keep an eye on James tonight."

"I will come back and check on you and I better find you sitting in that chair and not on the bed with him!" William warned.

Snow rolled her eyes, "You heard the doctor he will probably sleep through the night. Do you think I intend to ravage a wounded man in his sleep?"

William led the doctor out and the last thing Snow heard was William asking, "Where exactly do you live Doc?"

Snow pulled up the blanket and tucked it in around James. Her hand grazed his chest and she found her fingers lingering there. She leaned over and gently kissed his lips. His hand reached up to grab hers and it made her jump.

He opened his eyes and grinned at her. "Do you intend to ravage me in my sleep?"

"I thought you were sedated?" She gave him a warm smile. "I would much rather ravage you when you are awake. Somehow it seems like it would be much more fun." She said seductively.

"In that case, I guess it is a good thing that I didn't take that valerian Doc tried to give me." He gave her a wistful look. "I am afraid that I ravaging me will have to wait for another night though, when the fear of bleeding to death does not hang over my head." He sadly admitted.

"Oh, of course." Disappointment showed in her eyes. "I am still staying with you tonight. Someone has to make sure that you do not lose consciousness."

"What would you do if I did slip into unconsciousness?"

"I would wake you with True Loves Kiss!" She smiled.

"Do you really intend to pass the night sitting on that chair as you promised William?" He asked suggestively.

"What do you think?" She asked with a grin on her face.

She gently pulled back the covers and climbed into the bed with him. She warped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulders.

That was how William found them just before sun rise the next morning. He shook his head in silent resignation. At this rate, there was no way that the two of them would be able to stay apart for the full year that he and Snow needed to be engaged. The love shared between Snow White and Prince James had the potential to wreak havoc on three kingdoms. Still, William knew what it felt like to be completely consumed by the overwhelming need to be with the one you love. Sometimes, there was no choice but to give into that love. Consequences be damned! Reluctantly, he woke the two sleeping lovers.

"Snow, it is almost sunrise. The palace will soon be abuzz with preparations for tonight's banquet. You need to return to your own room."

Snow opened her eyes and smiled, "William, I was having the best dream. In my dream I spent the entire night in the arms of Prince James." She sighed contently.

William cast his eyes to the chair, "You mean as opposed to spending the night in that chair as you promised?" He teased.

James opened his eyes and smiled as well, "I had the same wonderful dream. Good morning love of my life." He gave her an adoring look.

"Good morning Charming," she replied in utter bliss.

"Charming?" William tried to stifle a laugh. James turned red. William forcibly pulled Snow out of the bed.

"Go to your room! I need to talk to lover boy here alone" William commanded.

When Snow was gone, William turned to James.

The Prince prepared himself for a thrashing by Snow's self-appointed protector.

"James," William began, "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Is this about Snow?" James asked with concern in his voice.

"It is about her indirectly." William hedged.

"Nothing happened between us last night." James promised.

"I know that, because if I even suspected that something had happened, you would be hacked into 6 pieces by now. However, I see the way the two of you look at each other and I know that you will not remain apart for long. Frankly, that idea scares me greatly."

James knitted his brows together in a frown, "Why can you not be happy that Snow and I have found true love?" The prince asked with great petulance.

"If it were only about the two of you, I would be more than happy to embrace your romance. What the two of you do has the power to influence 3 kingdoms." William explains.

"3 kingdoms?" James asked, puzzled.

"That is where my favor begins," William assured him. "I know that Snow has mentioned that I am married. She knows that my wife, Emma has to wait a year before she can claim the crown to her kingdom. What Snow does not know is that Emma his the natural born daughter of King Stefan."

A shocked look crossed James' face.

"No, that is not true. I know King Stefan. His kingdom boarders my father's kingdom on the north side. His wife is the cousin of my stepmother, Regina. Their daughter is named Aurora, not Emma. I should know I was almost betrothed to her until that whole mess with Prince Philip happened." James gave William a look of disbelief.

"They had one natural child and one adopted child. Aurora was the decoy child while Emma was hid away to protect her identity. When Aurora foolishly married Philip, she abandoned the throne. If Emma is not named the rightful ruler, the power will pass to Regina."

Part of what William had just told James was a twisted version of the truth.

"Do you really think that Aurora was foolish for following the path of true love?" James asked this with skepticism in his voice.

"It does not matter what I think, the fact is that Prince Philip was penniless at the time and the kingdom turned on Aurora. Emma too has married someone below her station and if news of our marriage gets out before she claims the crown, the kingdom may very well turn on her as well."

"What is this favor that you wish to ask?" James gave William a puzzled look.

'I know you have helped Aurora and Philip to restore his family honor and rebuild his kingdom. I am asking for far less for Emma and myself. I would like assured safe passage through your father's kingdom and I would like a place where I can hide Emma."

James thought about these requests for a moment. He only had William's version of the story and part of it did not add up. He had known Aurora since she was a child. She was a spitting image of her mother. He could not belief that she was not the natural child of King Stefan and his Queen. He understood true love and the deep desire to protect the woman you love. William clearly loved his wife.

"Do you have a plan in mind?" James asked reluctantly.

"As a matter of fact, I do have a plane in mind. I think it would be best if you were to persuade the Dwarf's to let Emma stay with them. They seem to hold you in high esteem and I think they would be able to keep her safe." William waited for a reaction.

"I will talk to Doc when he comes to check on me later this morning." James sighed.

"Thank you, I do not know how I will ever repay your kindness." William bowed to the Prince.

"Oh believe me, when I come to you ask for repayment, it is going to be something big." James gave him a cunning look.

James spent most of the morning in his room recovering. When in actuality, he was bored senseless. He looked out of the balcony window and longed to be in the forest. At one point he watched Snow in the garden gathering flowers for what seemed like hours. It was the high point of his morning. Until the real thing bounded into his room later that morning with her arms full of the flowers he had watched her gather. She dumped the armload of flowers on the bed.

"I hope you like flowers." She gave him a shy smile.

"I love you bringing me flowers." He gave her and adoring look.

She leaned over and kissed him. It was a long lingering kiss that felt like a summer rain.

Charming." She whispered as the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.

"Snow" He smiled as she pulled away from the kiss

"Are you being well looked after?" She tilted her head shyly and bit her lower lip, which made him want to kiss her again.

"As well as can be expected." He did kiss her again.

"Do you need anything?" She asked between kisses.

"Only the pleasure of your company." He teased as his intense blue eyes sparkled .

"You will have it, for a little while at least. I have so much to do before the banquet tonight." She sighed heavily.

"You mean the one where your father is going to announce your engagement?" A look of pain shot across his face and dimed the light in his eyes.

"Yes." She cast her eyes to the floor refusing to meet his eyes and see all the pain.

"I think my wounds have left me too weak to attend." He stated in defiance.

"Unfortunately, my father has thought of that. The banquet is in your honor as well for saving us from the dragon." She looked up at him again and saw that he was once again smiling

"He does not really intend to serve Dragon to his guests?" He asked playfully.

"Ella would know more about that than I."

His face fell again, "Snow it is going to take every ounce of restraint in my body to just stand by and watch while you are promised to another man."

"I know," She took both his hands in hers in a loving gesture. "The worst part is that as soon as it is announced the plans for my wedding to William will begin." Dread spread across her face and she looked so fragile to him in that moment.

"Let them make them make plans for your wedding. All it means is that when the time come for us to wed all of the plans will be complete."

"James, you know that we cannot be together right away. We may have to be apart for a long time." She gave him a serious, while at the same time apologetic look.

"My love for you is unwavering and timeless. I will wait decades to make you my wife if that is what it takes." He drew her to him and kissed her once more.

"it should take a little less time than that," She promised. "What did I do to make you love me so much?" She asked softly.

"You saved me." He answered her with affection in his voice.

She gave him a skeptic look, "The last time we saw each other, before we met in the woods, was 12 years ago. The last time we were together I called you a toad and pushed you in the water." She frowned at the memory.

"Actually, you called me a toad, kissed me, hit me with a rock and pushed me in the river." He laughed.

"I am so sorry." She lamented painfully.

"Don't be. It was one of the happiest days of my life." He remarked wistfully.

She tilted her head and gave him a curious look. "You must have had a sad childhood."

"I did. After my mother died I stopped feeling and turned inward. That day, you made me feel again and I have loved you ever since." He let out a breath of air.

Why did you not tell me sooner?" She asked softly.

"Snow, every year you grow to be more and more beautiful until you are now the most perfect creature I have ever beheld. I had to make sure that I was a man worthy of your love." He said these things in such a matter of fact way, that she could hardly doubt that he was speaking the truth.

"I am far from perfect." She challenged.

"I would not change a thing about you." He countered.

She had been sitting on the edge on his bed and now she jumped up and to her feet.

"Wait here." She commanded.

He looked after her with eyes filled with wonder, "I am hardly in any condition to move." He teased.

She came back carrying a heavy bound book.

She sat crossed legged on the end of his bed with the book in her lap.

"You are going to read to me?" He asked inquisitively.

"Unless you mind, I am going to read you the story that inspired me to kiss you that day 12 years ago."

"Not at all. I get to look at your gorgeous face and listen to your beautiful voice. You could read me your kingdoms tax code and I would be transfixed."

She started to read the Princess and the Toad.

There once was a beautiful princess whose father loved her very much. He gave her a golden ball to play with and she used to throw it up into the air and catch it in her hand. Her favorite place to play with the ball was near a pond outside the castle walls. One day she threw the ball into the air, but instead of catching it in her hand the ball fell into the pond. The water was very deep and the princess started to cry. A toad brought up the ball and said, "Princess do not cry I will give you back your ball. I only ask for 3 favors in return." "I will do anything," the princess promised. "If I return your ball, tonight and every night forward when you eat dinner I will be allowed to sit on the table next to you. Tonight and every night forward when you eat off of your golden plate I will eat off of it as well. Tonight and every night forward when you go to sleep in your comfortable bed I will sleep in it next to you." The princess promised and the toad returned the ball. That night when dinner was served the toad hopped into the castle and hopped up on the table and started to eat off the golden plate of the princess. She knocked him off the table and said, "Go away you vile thing!" The toad jumped back on the table and said, "You made a promise, now you must honor that vow." The king asked the princess about her promise and she had to tell him the whole story. The king said, "You have made your promise and now you must honor that vow." That night, the princess was forced to take the toad to her bed chamber and place him on her comfortable bed. The three promises were followed every night. During the day the toad would accompany the princess to the pond where she would play with her golden ball. Every time she dropped the ball into the pond the toad would retrieve it for her. Every day she grew to love the toad more and more. One day a cousin visited the castle and this cousin was to sleep in the bedchamber of the princess. The cousin climbed into the bed and saw the toad. She felt his slimy skin against her hand and instinctively she flung the toad off of the bed and he hit the wall with a hard thump. The princess came into the room and saw the toad lying motionless on the floor. She ran to him and realized that she loved him. She kissed him and he turned into a handsome prince. "An evil witch cast a spell on me and turned me into a toad. The only way to break the spell was for someone to fall in love with me in spite of my hideous form." The princess was so happy that she at once presented the prince to her father and they were married on the spot. The cousin was not invited to the wedding!

Snow closed the book and waited for his reaction.

"Charming, you are the toad in the story. All you needed was for someone to love you and you were transformed." She gave him a loving smile.

"So, you no longer think I am a toad?" He teased.

A wicked look crossed her face, "Believe me, you are all prince." I have to go. I will come back and check on you before the banquet. Tomorrow I will read you the story that inspired my mother to name me Snow White."

"You are going to make me wait a whole day to hear the inspiration for your name? That is torturous! Also, are you going to leave me buried in flowers?"

"The better to remember me by!" She blew him a kiss as she walked out of the room. He watched her leave and missed her desperately the second she was out of sight. It was going to be a long day and an even longer night.


	7. Chapter 7

A big thank you to all of my readers. You guys rock!

Authors Note: The question has been asked about who Emma is in this story. She clearly is not their daughter because they are too young to have an adult daughter. Plus they are not married yet. They could very well have a daughter named Emma in the future. I would not rule that out, provided that they are able to overcome all of the obstacles placed before them and end up together. If Regina and King George have their ways they will be kept permanently apart. By the next chapter it will become clear who Emma is related to in this story.

I do not own these characters or their world.

Chapter 7

James was trying unsuccessfully to lace his tunic shirt when he looked up and noticed Snow standing in the doorway. A bemused look was on her lovely face. He felt his breath catch in his chest and his fingers went numb. Her beauty astounded him. Her dark hair was up and her checks and lips were flushed red. She was wearing the most beautiful dark blue dress her had ever seen.

"How long have been quietly standing there?" He asked.

"For some time, you had such a serious look on your face, I had to watch." She smiled in an amused fashion and gracefully moved across the room until she was standing in front of him. She took the ties in her hands and helped him lace the tunic.

"Did my father not send someone to help you dress?" She asked.

Being so close to her was not helping him breath.

"Yes, but I sent her away." He said softly.

Snow raised an eyebrow, "My father sent a woman to dress you?"

"Well, I suppose his hope springs eternal. Does the thought of a woman dressing me upset you?" He gave her a hopeful look.

Snow smiled, "Not really, as long as you sent her away before anything interesting happened." She teased.

He pulled her too him and whispered in her ear, "My darling, wonderful Snow White. Do you have any clue how being near you affects me? I love you so much Snow."

"I love you too, Charming."

He kissed her with a passion that quick drew the breath from her body. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth and she let out an audible gasp.

"The way you kiss me, it is unlike any other kiss I have ever experienced," She whispered out of breath.

"You have been kissed often?" He teased.

Her face turned red," A few times. You must realize you are not the first man to court me, but no one has ever kissed me the way you do."

"Is it a good thing or bad?" He asked.

She thought for less than a second, "With you it is good, but if anyone else had ever tried it, I probably would have cut him to pieces." She said true fully.

James laughed and reached up and removed one of the pins that held her hair in place. A small section tumbled down.

"What are you doing? It took several women hours to put up my hair." She pouted.

"I think you should wear it down tonight," He whispered seductively as he kissed her neck. He felt her pulse quicken.

"I never wear my hair down to official functions." She protested

"Snow, you are a woman born of nature, your hair should be as free as you are." He ran his fingers through her hair to loosen the waves.

"You think of me as a woman?" She asked. That was something else new to her. She was not sure that she herself felt like a woman. She knew for a fact that no one who had ever courted her thought of her in those terms.

"Of course, you are a beautiful, desirable woman." He stood behind her; both of them reflected in the mirror and for the first time she saw him standing beside her and it was a beautiful sight.

A servant had placed the flowers she had brought him in vases. He took some of the smaller verities and used the pins to twist them throughout the loose waves of her hair.

She gave him an adoring look and asked, "James how can I ever be free?"

"What do you mean?" The puzzled look on his face caused him to wrinkle his brow.

"I am bound to you heart, mind body and soul. As long as I love you, I can never be truly free."

"Snow, do not think of our love as a prison. I would rather leave you forever and never look back rather than imprison you." He said softly.

"It is not a prison, my love, it is a shelter from all the evil, sadness and trials of the world. I would not have it any other way" She turned around and stood up. "Now, Prince James would kindly escort me to the grand halls?"

He offered her his arm and she took it. She took one last look in the mirror. She looked different and it was likely that they would cause a stir when they entered the room. Maybe that was not such a bad thing.

They did cause a stir when they entered the room. It was hard to tell if it was because of the way that Snow looked or if it was simply because of on whose arm she entered. There were hushed wipers about her hair, but she decided to ignore them. There was only one person in the room whose opinion mattered to her and she knew how he felt. She smiled at James and he smiled back at her. King George indicated to William to take Snow's arm from Prince James. He did it only after casting an apologetic look towards the prince.

"Your hair certainly is different." William commented.

"Thank you," She replied, "James suggested it." She smiled.

"Don't you mean, Charming?" William snickered.

Snow elbowed him in the side." Be nice, this evening is going to be extremely difficult for him to bear. Imagine how you would feel in his place?"

William silently acknowledged the fact that he felt lucky not to be in Prince James' shoes.

Because James was a guest of honor at the banquet, he was seated right beside Snow. Everyone was so busy that they failed to notice that James and Snow acted like lovers throughout the night. They held hands under the table. They drank from the same wine goblet and they talked softly to each other throughout the night. Halfway through the evening King George commanded the attention of the room.

"As all of you know, I have been waiting to make an important announcement. William and Snow will you please join me?" He indicated a small raised dais at the end of the room.

James felt sick as he watched Snow rise to join her father.

She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and bent to whisper in his ear, "We knew this moment was coming."

"That does not make it any easier to bear," He whispered back.

"James, I love you and we will be together." She squeezed his hand again.

He gave her a reassuring smile, "I love you too."

King George took one of Snow's hands and forced it into one of William's hands.

"Smile!" He told them under his breath. Then he turned to his assembled guests. My Snow has grown into a beautiful woman and many a prince has sought her hand in marriage."

James tried to keep the look of shock he was feeling from registering on his face. Just how many men had courted Snow, he wondered.

George continued, "I am happy to announce that I have finally found a man suitable to be her husband."

James fumed. What right did the king have to choose who Snow married?

"It is non-other than the Captain of my guard, William." He gave a triumphant smile that made James seethe.

A collective gasp went up from the assembled diners. George singled the musicians to begin playing and forcibly push Snow and William to dance the first dance.

James got up and walked around the edge of the dance floor. As he did he overheard snips of conversations.

"Did you see how inappropriate her hair was tonight?"

"She looked like she slept in the forest."

"Or had her hair styled by monkeys."

James wanted to punch the woman who mad the last comment. Especially since he was the one who had styled her hair and he thought she looked achingly beautiful.

He continued around that room.

"Can you believe that she is marrying him?"

"He is the son of a huntsman."

"There is no accounting for taste."

Now he wanted to punch everyone in the room. How dare they judge Snow? Most of them hardly knew her.

He circled around the room and stopped in front of his father.

"Son, you look as if though you are in pain." His father gave him a worried look.

"I am in agony!" James lamented as he looked over at Snow. She was dancing with the son of a Duke that James vaguely knew. His father followed his gaze.

"I wish Snow White all the happiness in the world and if she truly loves that man, I am sure she will have it." King Leopold told his son.

James gave his father a surprised look, "You are not among the believers that she is marrying below her status?"

His father gently patted him on the back, "I think she should marry the man who makes her the happiest. I am a big believer that one should follow her or his heart. When she entered the room tonight, she had the glow of a woman in love. I have to admit, that at one time I entertained the idea that you and Snow White might marry one day a union between our two kingdoms would have made for a powerful force."

For the second time that evening, James was shocked by something his father said.

"Well," He said under his breath, "We might both still get our wish. Father do you believe that King George is a capable leader?"

His father looked around nervously, 'Now is not the time or place to discuss such matters."

"I think I have my answer. Do others share this feeling?" James inquired.

Again his father looked around the room in a nervous fashion. "I would say that half the room feels that way."

"As I hoped!" James exclaimed as he took off across the dance floor towards Snow.

"James, where are you going?" His father asked with concern in his voice.

"I am following my heart!" James called back.

He cut in on Snow's dance partner. The other dancers were so close that he they could not really do anything except revel at being in each other's arms and make small talk.

"You are beautiful, have I told you that?" he smiled.

"I think you mentioned it a time or two." She laughed softly "You clean up pretty well yourself Prince James."

"Dinner was nice." He continued.

"It was wonderful. I am so glad I was seated next to you" She sighed.

The song ended and dance partners broke up and mingled. Before someone else claimed Snow James leaned in and whispered to her, "Wait a few minutes and then follow me outside.

He stole on last glimpse at her and then went out onto the veranda. He waited several tense minutes for her to appear. She ran straight into his arms. And wrapped him in a tight embrace.

"I am so sorry, James that must have been awful for you." She buried her face in the shoulder of his shirt.

"I've had better nights." He admitted wearily.

"I wish things were different. I wish we could be together right now and that I did not have to pretend that I was engaged to William." He felt a desperate tear land on his shoulder.

"Maybe we can be together." He said softly.

"How is it possible for us to be together? William and Emma need a full year before they can admit that they are married. I year where he and I have to pretend that we are together" She asked with desperation in her voice.

"Snow, I want to help William and Emma anyway I can. I think I know away to help, but it will require me to take actions of which you may not approve."

"Is it safe for us to be out here?" She asked anxiously

"Yes, your father made a line of dragon blood around the perimeter of the castle. It will deter the approach of any other beasts." He assured her.

She relaxed in his arms, "Why would I disapprove of your plan to help William and Emma?" She asked puzzled.

"In order to help them, I will have to go after your father." He waited for her reaction.

She pulled away, "Do you mean you will have to kill my father?" Her eyes grew large with fright.

"I would never kill him, but I will have to challenge his ruler-ship and I might have to imprison him. Would you be able to support a campaign against your father?"

She thought for some time before she was able to answer. She had loved him when she was a little girl, he had been her whole world after her mother died. But something or someone changed him and in the past 12 years they had grown farther and farther apart.

"In some ways, the love that I felt for my father as a little girl slowly dying for 12 years." She sighed "It began the day that Regina first entered our lives. She has changed him, James. The father I knew as a little girl would never force me to marry a man that I did not love." There was determination in her voice.

"Snow, promise me you will stay away from Regina." She could see the fear in his eyes and so she nodded her head that she would.

"Whatever battle you fight I will be standing right by your side." She promised

He realized why he loved her. She was fearless and she was loyal and she was so good!

"I adore you, Snow! You are wonderful!" He said softly and he took her in his arms and held her tightly.

"What I am is tired, "She yawned, "Let's go to bed."

A very excited look crossed his face and his eyes sparkled.

She sighed and hated to disappoint him, but it had to be done. "Charming, you know what I mean. I will change and meet you in your room."

He knew what she meant. She would change into her gown and sleep in his arms on top of the covers, just as she had ever night since he had arrived. He would yearn to be with her in every way and yet he would be blissful just to have her in his arms. He watched her go wistfully.

"Someday soon, I will have you and from that day forward I will never let go." He said softly.

She bounded into his room some time later. She was carrying her storybook in her arms. She placed it on the bed and peaked under the covers. He was naked as usual.

He gave her a teasing, perturbed look.

"I was just making sure." She said blushingly.

He sat up and leaned on one elbow, "You know you have seen me naked several times and it seems to please you. I think it is time you returned the favor." He gave her a cunning look.

She thought for a moment and smiled, "Not going to happen. It is a well-known fact that women have much more restraint than men." She gave him a studious look.

She opened the book and peeked over the pages. He had a huge grin on his face.

"You are probably right," He teased, "If you were the one sleeping naked under the covers there is no way that I would have the restraint to sleep on top of the covers!" He gave her a heart melting smile.

"Especially when I would much prefer to be sleeping on top of you." He continued.

Her face flushed bright red and she tried to maintain her composure.

"I brought the book and I am going to read you the story of Snow White and Rose Red." She said meekly.

"I thought I had to wait until tomorrow to hear the story that determined your name." He joked.

"I decided not to make you wait." She stated simply.

"Well, at least that is one thing for which you are not making me wait." He teased.

"James, you can behave or you can sleep alone tonight." She snapped as she started to get up from the bed. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him.

"That would be a fate worse than death. I promise to behave!" He said with sincerity.

She started to read from the book and he gave her a loving look.

There once was a poor Queen who had two rose bushes and two daughters. One rose bush was as white as snow and the other was as red as blood. She named one daughter Snow- White and the other daughter was called Rose-Red. The two sisters were very close and they decided that they would always share everything. What one had she would share with the other. One bitter cold winter night they are sitting by the fire with their mother when they hear a knock at the door. "Rose-Red open the door," the mother instructs." It is probably some poor traveler seeking shelter from the cold." Rose-Red did as she was instructed. When she saw it was a black bear standing in the doorway she screamed and hid behind her mother. "I mean you no harm!" Said the bear. The mother invited the bear in to warm himself by the fire. The girls played with him through the night. The bear stayed until spring when he told them he had to leave. "I must go and guard my treasure from the wicked dwarfs. It was safe when the ground was frozen. Now that it has started to thaw, they can dig again." Snow-White was very sad to see him leave. Over the next several days Snow-White and Rose-Red meet a dwarf in the forest and they save his life three times. Each time he curses them instead of showing them gratitude. The fourth time they meet the dwarf he is being cornered by a black bear. "Save me!" The little dwarf begs. The girls refuse to save his life again because he has shown them no gratitude in the past. "Eat them instead!" The little man pleads with the bear. The bear ignores his request and eats the dwarf. Suddenly, the bear is transformed into a handsome prince. "The dwarf cast a spell on me and turned me into a bear in order to steal my treasure. He had to die for the spell to be broken. Yet you two kept saving him. Snow-White realized that this prince had been the bear who had wintered with them and that she loved him. She married the prince and Rose-Red his brother.

"That's it?" James asked.

"Yes, that is it. My mother named me after the Snow-White from the story. She stated simply.

"Who is Rose-Red?" He asked with a yawn.

"There is no Rose-Red, only in the story." She stated impatiently.

"There has to be a Rose-Red, otherwise why would your mother bother to read you that story?" He insisted.

"To let me know the origin of my name." She said, losing patience again.

"I like the one about the toad better!" He teased.

"Charming, just go to sleep!" She said in huff. She crossed her arms across her chest, but she didn't leave. He reached for her with his uninjured arm and pulled her against him. With her head lying on his chest he stroked her hair until they both fell into a blissful sleep.

At King Leopold's castle Regina stood before her magic mirror.

"Mirror mirror on the wall…I would ask who is the fairest of them all, but I think we both know the answer to that question." She took a moment to preen.

The mirror sighed with relief at having dodged the "fairest of them all" talk. They would probably have to have it sooner or later, but later was better.

"Hello, mirror are you listening to me?"

"Sorry, your majesty."

"I asked you if my plot with King George to take over the realm will succeed."

The mirror cringed, so much for dodged bullets. "The success of your plot depends on Snow White."

"What does King George's brat have to do with anything?"

"It depends on whom she marries."

"Georgie has that covered, she's going to marry that faithful Captain of his guard, it has all been arranged. He will keep all our secrets and in exchange he gets the waif for a wife!" She cackled.

"Perhaps, only Snow White has another suitor." The mirror replied

"What? No one has ever wanted her before. Show me this fool."

An image of Prince James appears in the glass. "James! My James? Did I drop him on his head too many times when he was young?" "Does she return his affections?"

"Difficult to say, I can only look into the hearts of those who have gazed into my glass."

"When did James look into your glass?"

"Until he met her and she changed him when he was about 14. Until that time he was very vain."

This was a disaster. James was the most steadfast person she knew and as stubborn as a donkey. If he had convinced himself that he wanted to marry Snow White, there was little hope of changing his mind.

"Give me the scoop, what happens if Snow doesn't marry the guard?"

"She will marry Prince James, they will unite against you and King George and they will win."

"ingrates!" She crackled

"Well, you did murder both of their mothers." The mirror reminded

"They don't know that." She casually replied

"Snow White knows. She has forgotten at the moment, but given time she will remember"

The mirror showed the queen an image of the small princess listening in the secret passage of the Kings chamber while he and Regina were discussing the murders.

"No!" The witch screamed. "In that case, I will have to make sure that she is the last person on earth James is able to marry."


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you to everyone who is still reading this little piece of fan fiction.

As usual, I own nothing. These characters and their world belong to ABC.

Chapter 8

Snow White opened her eyes and found James lying on his side, propped up on an elbow, watching her. He had a contented smile on his face.

"What are you smiling about?" She asked suspiciously.

"You and how beautiful you are when you are asleep." He grinned. "Can we spend the day together, please?" He asked anxiously.

"I am still promised to another man." She sighed.

"Don't remind me." He groaned

"What would we do if we did spend the day together?" She shyly inquired.

"Go for a walk in the forest and have a picnic. Then you could read to me from your storybook. Then we might kiss a little." He teased.

"Kiss a little?" she teased back.

"Okay, we would probably kiss a lot." He laughed.

"That sounds wonderful. Unfortunately I have to go on a girls outing to the hot springs today."

Disappointment registered on her face.

"Can I come along?" He pleaded.

"No, because we swim naked and even though I would not mind," She gave him a seductive look, "I am not sure the other women would feel the same. Besides, you are still recovering from the dragon attack you are not strong enough to make the journey to the springs." She sighed.

A wicked look crossed his face and then he rolled over on top of her and pinned her arms above her head, his naked body pressed against the full length of her body. She could feel the heat of his body through her thin gown. The move startled her and they spent a few moments in silence. She realized that all that separated them was the cotton garment she was wearing and that scared her and excited her at the same time. They had both been fighting their mutual desire for too long when. When his lips came crashing down on her in a breath stealing passionate and his hands slipped under her gown to touch her bare skin, she was more than willing to give up the fight. She gasped and he misunderstood. He pulled back from her.

"Do you want to stop?" He asked her with concern in his voice.

"No!"

She practically sobbed and pulled him back against her and kissed him with renewed fervor.

"What do you two think you are doing?" William called angrily from the doorway.

Snow's face flushed red in embarrassment and she threw a blanket over James.

"You both know what is at stake here. Anyone could have walked in on the two of you. You know how important this is to me, to Emma, to all of us!" He was livid.

"I guess next time, we should lock the door?" James winked at Snow.

William looked like he wanted to tear James to pieces. As much as Snow loved her friend, she did not like the look she was seeing in his eyes.

"There better not be a next time," He warned, "If the two of you cannot cool things off, then maybe you should spend some time apart."

Snow had recovered from her embarrassment and got up from the bed and stood toe to toe with William.

"Meanwhile, you get to indulge in your secret marriage to Emma?"

"How is that fair to James and I?"

She turned and left the room in anger. Before she left she turned back to William and said, "James and I are in love. We love each other at least as much as you love Emma. We will be together and you my oldest dearest friend have little say in the situation!"

By the time that James got dressed and out of his room breakfast had been cleared from the grand audience hall. He wandered into the kitchen and found Ella polishing a copper pot.

"I have to get you out of the kitchen." He informed her.

"Most of the time, I do not mind working in the kitchen. I love preparing fancy dishes for celebrations and most of the time I like the people I work with." She shrugged.

"Still, you are destined for a better life." He said softly.

"I bet you are hungry?" She placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of him and gave him some bread and jam."

"Eat with me? We have not had a chance to talk much lately." He instructed.

He instinctively knew that she probably had not been given time to eat that morning and it might be several hours before she had any kind of a break. No one would say anything about her eating at the command of a Prince though. She sat down another bowl of oatmeal and he split the piece of bread with her.

"Last night must have been difficult for you." Ella commented.

"Yes, it was difficult to see the woman I love being forced into a relationship with another man." He agreed.

"I do not understand why King George is so set on her marrying the son of a huntsman when she could be marrying a Prince?" Ella chewed a piece of bread thoughtfully.

"You have a good point. I think something else is going on here, something I am missing." James had a serious look on his face. "Ella do you think it is possible that Aurora is not King Stefan's natural child?"

"Are you asking me if I think the Queen cheated him? Aurora looks exactly like her mother." Ella answered in a matter of fact tone.

James ate another piece of bread slathered in jam. "Yes she does, but who does King Stefan resemble?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Does it matter?" Ella asked.

"It might!" James replied. "I think I need to go back to our castle and look something up in the Book of Royal Linage."

"What should I tell Snow when she gets back?" Ella asked.

"I will leave her a note. Tell her to look in her book." He called back as he quickly left the kitchen.

James had ridden fast to get back to his father's castle. He practically slid off his horse and the yelled back for the groomsman to keep the horse ready for his return journey. He raced up the stairs and into the library. James pulled a large book off of a high shelf in the library. He placed it on a table and started to flip through pages. Each set of pages had a royal portrait on one side of the page and a family history on the facing page. He flipped to the family history that he was looking for, but was startled by a voice behind him.

"James, is everything alright?" He father asked in a worried tone.

"Father, what are you doing here?" He answered the King's question with one of his own.

"I was worried when you left the summer palace so suddenly." He looked at the book that his son was studying.

"King Stefan, his wife and daughter? Are you still interested in Aurora?" The King asked skeptically.

"Not in the slightest, except of course for as much help as I can give her and Philip." He turned the page

"This is what interests me the most."

There was a portrait of King Stefan with a blond haired woman who slightly resembled King Stefan. On her lap she held an infant girl with dark hair and pale skin. The child was beautiful and James realized it could be only one person.

"Who is that?" James asked excitedly.

"That is King Stefan with his sister and her daughter, Snow White." Leopold answered.

Shock crossed the face of the prince, "Snow is the niece of King Stefan? Why am I just learning this now?" He asked impatiently.

"If you would have spent more of your time over the last 10 years studying instead of trying to save the world, you would know your royal history." His father lightly chided.

James pulled out a chair and sat down, "I am listening now, father. Tell me about King Stefan."

"His kingdom is one of the few were linage is passed through the women. His sister, Snow White's mother, ceded the crown to Stefan when she married King George. Aurora gave up rights to the crown when she married Philip because his kingdom is no longer a true monarchy. The next in line for the crown is King Stefan's cousin on his wife's side, who happens to be your stepmother." King Leopold sighed heavily.

"Regina is the cousin of Aurora's mother?" James was reeling from the news. Maybe he should have paid more attention to royal linage.

"Yes, but it hardly matters now. Stefan cannot pass the crown to Aurora." The King pointed out.

"What about Snow? She could be Stefan's successor?" James asked excitedly.

His father thought for a moment, "Of course as long as she does not marry beneath her, which is exactly what will happen if she marries William. She could marry a knight and still hold onto the crown. A prince or a king would be better though. Of course the rules could be changed if the neighboring kings agreed, but in the past, King George would never agree to change the laws. " Leopold lamented.

Suddenly, James saw everything clearly and he laughed out loud, "That is why King George wants her to marry William, he wants her to forfeit her right to King Stefan's kingdom!"

Perhaps Snow did not even realize that she was in line for the crown. James figured that she was probably paying about as much attention to rules of secession as he was.

"Father, what would happen if King Stefan had another niece?" James asked with a voice once again tinged with excitement.

"She could inherit the crown if she married a knight, a king or a prince." Leopold gave his son a puzzled look.

The truth dawned on James and his face lit up. There was a Rose-Red just as he had suspected.

"Emma is Rose-Red!" He exclaimed "Both her and Snow are in terrible danger. I have to get back to the Summer Palace!" He exclaimed and started out the door.

"James, if you will wait a few hours we can ride back in the carriage. I just need a few previsions for the hunt tomorrow." The King declared.

"I cannot wait a few hours father!" He stated impatiently.

"James, you are still recovering from the dragon attack. I worry about your health." His father bemoaned.

The prince gave his father a reassuring smile, "I assure you Father, I have never felt better!"

"What do you intend to do, son?" the King asked.

"I intend to follow my heart. I love Snow White and she loves me. I now know how we can be together." He said with self-assurance in his voice.

He had a look of confidence on his face that made King Leopold proud. He knew that when he was gone, James would make a wonderful leader. With Snow White by his side, Leopold realized his son would be unstoppable.

The King Leopold laughed. Something had been different about Snow White the last few days and he had not been able to put his finger on what had brought about the changes.

"I thought that the Fair Princess of the Summer Palace seemed different somehow. She reminded me of someone. Now I know who." He replied wistfully.

"Of whom did Snow remind you, Father?" James asked impatiently.

"Your mother, when she and I were first falling in love. There is nothing more beautiful than a woman who knows she is loved." His father said with nostalgia in his voice.

"I do not think I could love Snow more if I tried." James sighed.

"If you are fortunate you will spend every day of the rest of your life falling deeply in love with her over and over." His father encouraged.

"Some days I am afraid that my heart will burst, I love her so much." James smiled euphorically.

"In that case, what are you waiting for?" His father asked impatiently, "Go after her. Follow your heart my son and you will never travel the wrong path!" He urged.

James jumped up and was about to leave, but stopped suddenly.

"What hunt tomorrow?" He asked with concern in his eyes.

"King George always has a hunt in the forest as part of the summer festival. If you had ever bothered to show up you would know all about it." His father answered.

James felt his spine tingle. Something was off about the hunt, but he was not sure what it was.

"Father, promise me you will be careful." James pleaded.

"I hope you will you grant me the same promise?" The King requested.

The Leopold and the James gave each other a found look. It was a look that one of them would never forget because it was the last time one of them would lay eyes on the other while he still drew breath.

Snow White had been looking forward to seeing James all day. She found Ella in the kitchen and asked her where she could find her prince.

"He had to go back to the palace or some reason. He left you a note in the book."

Ella shrugged.

"He said you would understand where to find it." Ella gave the princess an encouraging smile.

Snow went quickly and happily to her room and grabbed the storybook. Before she could open it and retrieve the note her attention was caught by movement in the garden. She went to the balcony and peered at her father walking arm in arm with King Leopold's wife, Regina. Suddenly, she was mentally transported back 12 years. She was standing in the secret passage watching her father and Regina in a very compromising situation. More to the point, she could remember every vile word that passed their lips.

Clutching the book as if it were her life line, she dropped to her knees and started to sob.

"She killed my mother!"

Snow repeated the words over and over as if they were a mantra as she clutched the book tightly. Her whole life had been a lie and she was not sure if she would ever feel safe again.


	9. Chapter 9

It seems like it has been ages since I was able to update this story.

Thank you to those who continue to read it and my other works.

I claim authorship of the words and ideas below, but I do not claim these characters or their setting.

The Princess and the Toad Chapter 9

William was busy going over the ledger of discretionary spending. The fund was occasionally used to buy gifts for dignitaries, but through the years most of the funds had been spent on Regina. It made William nearly sick to think of all the good that the money could have done over the years.

There was a light knock on his door. "Come in, the door is open." He instructed.

James entered, and it was clear from the serious look on his face that he needed to discuss something important with William.

"William, we need to talk. I know that Emma really is Snow's sister. I know that she was sent to live with King Stefan in order to protect her from King George and Regina." He gave the other man a grave look.

William rose to his feet, "How did you figure all out that Emma is really Snow's sister?"

"It was not that difficult. I think they are both in danger and I am sending Snow into hiding with Emma." The tone in his voice suggested that he was not asking for permission from the other man he was issuing a royal command.

"I don't think that is a good idea!" William insisted powerfully.

However, James was not about to be deterred.

"It is not a suggestion. Snow is no longer safe here and she will be taken into hiding with Emma. Besides, it is about time that she learns she has a sister." James gave William an unwavering look.

William gave him an equally stubborn look and laughed, "You are not my King, nor are you even my Prince! I do not owe allegiance to you and I do not have to follow your orders. You know why Emma must be protected!" He stated forcefully.

"I know that Emma is the heir to King Stefan's Kingdom because she is his niece. I know that she has been kept hidden in order to protect her from King George and Regina because Regina also has a claim on King Stefan's kingdom because she is a distant cousin. I know that Snow is being forced to marry you, a commoner, in order to prevent her from inheriting the crown and ruling either King George or King Stefan's kingdom. I know that Snow is not aware that she has a sister. None of this matters to me. My primary concern is for the safety of the woman I love. "

James stated all of this as he advanced menacingly on William. He had his hand on the hilt of his sword. James continued, "If you are not going to help me protect Snow, then I will have to consider you an obstacle that will need to be removed."

His voice was fearsome, but it also held a note of sadness.

William had been Snow's friend for most of her life; he was also married to her sister. If James was forced to imprison him, or the worst possible case, kill him, it would be difficult for Snow to accept.

William reluctantly agreed. "How exactly do you plan on getting Snow out of here without her father interfering?" he asked with measured skepticism in his voice.

James smiled cryptically and replied, "Snow and I are going to run off and get married!" He exclaimed.

"Have you lost your mind? You would not get halfway through the kingdom before you are caught by her father's men and when they catch you, King George will have you shot!" William warned.

"That is the beauty of my plan, the elopement is a diversion. I plan on dressing Ella in Some of Snow's clothes and taking her by carriage in the opposite direction from you and Snow." James gave the other man a satisfied smirk and crossed his arms in triumph.

William could not deny that it was such a simplistic plan that it might actually work. There was only one possible flaw in the proposal. "What if Snow refuses to leave with me?" William asked.

James sighed, "We will have to convince her that it is the best way to keep her safe."

The idea that Regina had killed her mother, seduced her father and her father seemed to approve hit Snow White like a knife to her heart. She continued to sit on the floor of her room in a sad shocked state. Tears freely flowed from her eyes until the room became a blur. She shivered even though hot anger flowed through her veins. She lost track of how long she sat on the cold, hard floor. She felt so alone, it was a feeling she had not felt since her mother had died.

It is funny how life can change in an instant. A few hours ago she had felt happy, fortunate and alive. Now she felt dead inside. She no longer felt safe at the Summer Palace. The Summer Place had been built for her mother. It had place where she had spent many happy moments and the one place in the world where she had felt at home. Now, that feeling of security had been ripped away. She no longer had a father and she no longer had a home.

The next thing that Snow was aware of was a pair of strong arms encircling her in a protective embrace.

"James." She whispered his name until he silenced her with a kiss. He continued to hold her and kiss her until he felt her relax in his arms and she kissed him back. She sighed contently and he knew that she was going to be alright.

"What happened?" She asked, bewildered.

"William and I found you, Snow you were in near hysterics. We should be the ones asking about what happened? Snow, it was early like the day, 12 years ago when you became cationic. I was so scared that you were going to slip away from me. "

"It was exactly the same as 12 years ago, because I just now remembered the day I learned by whose hand my mother lost her life." She said, her voice shaking with anger and fear.

The color drained from William's face.

"What do you think you remember?" He asked timidly.

"I remember the fact that Regina killed my mother!" She shot an accusing look at William.

There was no doubt that he knew about it and had kept the information from her.

She turned to James.

"I think she killed your mother as well." She said softly.

A look of painful shock crossed his face.

"Snow, you are not safe here." He said in desperation.

"I know," She said with tears in her eyes. "Maybe I was never safe here." She gave William a biting look.

"Please, don't look at me like that." He pleaded.

"How could you keep something this important from me for so many years?" Her eyes burned with anger and disappointment. Her hold on James tightened just a little.

"When I assumed responsibility as Captain of the Guard from my father I had to swear loyalty to your father." He stated meekly.

She pulled away from James and faced William. "What about your loyalty to me? You are the closest thing to family that I have had since my mother died." She seethed.

"I was trying to protect you." William claimed meekly.

"Do you honestly believe that you were protecting me by lying to me?" She asked with angry eyes.

William looked guilty and James was actually afraid, for the first time that his plan might fail and Snow might refuse to leave with her life-long friend. He took her hands in his and turned her around until the two of them were face to face.

"Do you trust me?" He asked softly.

She tilted her head and gave him a puzzled look.

"Of course, I trust you with my life." Her expression turned to one of worry. James, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Snow, your life is in danger. So, I am going to ask you to do something that we are both going to find difficult. I need you to trust me, but more important, I need you to trust William." He gave her a serious look.

She let out an audible gasp of surprise.

"William is going to take you into hiding with the dwarfs."

She turned to James and gave him an angry look and tears began to fall from her eyes.

"After everything that he has done to me, how can you ask me to trust him?" She started to pound on James and he winced at her anger, but a part of him knew that he had let her get that anger out. She was like a child throwing a tantrum and he was willing to let her act out her aggression, to a certain extent.

Finally when he felt that she had vented enough. He pulled her tightly against his chest until her sobbing subsided.

When he spoke to her his tome was a loving whisper. "Snow, I know that you are upset with William right now, and I can hardly blame you for that," He glared at William, "But I would trust the dwarfs with my own life. You will be safe with them." He gave her a reassuring smile.

William stepped forward, "Your majesty, if you will permit me to accompany I will protect your life as if it were my own." He promised.

Having composed herself, she nodded in agreement.

"How soon can you be ready to leave?" James asked the princess with tenderness in his voice.

"I am ready now." She insisted defiantly. She clutched the book tightly in her arms. "This book, your ring and you are the only things in this world that matter to me. As long as I have those three things, there is little else that I need."

"Unfortunately, I will have to stay behind and delay your father and give you time to escape. Also, it is too dangerous for you to travel by carriage. Your escape will be much quicker on horse back. Snow, my steed is saddled and ready."

"I will go prepare my horse." William informed them. He realized that the two of them needed time alone to say there "farewells."

When they were alone, they turned to each other and embraced tightly. Then they kissed tenderly, clinging to each other as if life depended on never letting go.

"James, I can't take your horse" Snow insisted.

"It is the only animal with which I would trust the woman I love." He said with sincerity.

"Are we ever going to be allowed to be together?" Her voice was mournful and that coupled with the look of devastation on her face broke his heart.

"We will be together," He promised, "And when we are finally together I promise I am never going to let you go." He gave her a loving look.

"When will I see you?" She asked anxiously.

"I would like to give you and William at least a day's head start. I will take your carriage and Ella and hopefully your father will have his men follow us. Then I would like to lay low for a few days just to make sure that no one follows me to where you are hiding. It all should take no more than 4 or 5 days." He gave her a reassuring look.

She sighed with resignation, "I suppose if it is only for a few days, I will have to stand us being apart. However, I doubt that I will be able to sleep without you asleep by my side." She stated with sadness in her voice.

He gave her a tender smile, "Believe me, I know the feeling." He took her by the hand and led her to the small writing desk at the back of the room.

"There is one thing that I need from you before we part company." He said gently.

She raised an eyebrow in mock protest.

"There is only one thing that you need from me?" She teased gently, "Because I can think of more than a few things that I need from you."

This caused him to blush, "I actually, have a long list of my own, but we don't have time for most of what I have listed." He gave her a thousand watt grin. "I need you to write a letter to your father informing him that you and I have run off to get married. I will then have the letter handed to him when I am sure that you and William are safely away." He informed her.

"A letter informing him exactly why I wish to spend the rest of my life as your wife?" She asked shyly with one eye brow raised in a teasing glance.

He smiled warmly, "That is the general idea." He gave her a loving look.

She began to write.

Father,

I am writing this to inform you that your reign of tyranny over me is at an end. I will not be marrying William. I have run away with Prince James and I fully intend to be married to him as soon as possible. I have loved him since the very first moment I laid eyes on him, even though he was a bit of a Toad at the time. He is the bravest, most pure of heart and most loyal man I have ever known and the happiest moment of my life with the moment I learned that he loves me too. Ever since Mother died, I have been surrounded by evil. James is goodness personified and I will not stand to be separated from him for one minute longer. I love him with all of my heart and we will be together.

Goodbye Father,

Snow White

James read the letter and laughed at the part about him being a toad when they first met. Then tears formed in his eyes as he became overwhelmed with emotion. He loved her so much and the thought of being apart from her for even a few days tore at his heart. Their temporary separation was a necessary evil. He helped her to her feet and held her tightly in his arms. He needed to memorize the way she felt against his chest, the way her breath felt on his cheek and the way her lips felt against his lips. He kissed her tenderly, lovingly and all too quickly because they were interrupted by William.

"The horses are ready." William informed them with regret in his voice.

Snow looked around the room one last time as James took her hand and led her down the back stairs to the stable. As William had said, the horses were ready and waiting. Without saying a word, he helped her on to his horse and covered her with a rough woven cape. He whispered words of encouragement to the horse and stroked the nose of the steed.

Snow leaned down and kissed him one last time. It was a kiss filled with passion and longing and for both of them the moment was achingly sad.

"Where am I really going?" She whispered.

"William is taking you to your family." He answered truthfully. "Love you, Snow." He said with sadness in his voice.

"I love you too," She whispered.

As she rode away, Snow White looked back at what she was leaving behind. She was leaving the forest where she had spent many happy childhood moments. She was leaving the Summer Place which she had called home for so long. She was leaving the man that she loved more than anything else in the world and she could not be sure how long they would be apart.

Once she was out of sight, James stood for a few moments unable to move. He let the agony of separation wash over him for those few moments. Then he realized that he had to move on the second part of his plan. He found Ella in the kitchen and quickly explained that he needed her to dress in some of Snow's clothing and wear of her cloaks in order to give the impression that he was fleeing with the princess. He waited outside of the room while his friend changed. When Ella emerged wearing the royal finery and one of Snow's heavily brocaded cloaks, she was instantly transformed into royalty. Anyone who saw her from a distance would believe that she was a princess. At least that is what James hoped.

"This is never going to work!" His friend insisted, "No one will believe that I am Snow White."

James gave her a serious look, "It has to work. William and Snow must be given as much of a head start as possible."

The truth of the matter was that Ella hardly resembled Snow up close. Their hair and eyes were different colors and the dark haired princess was more petite than his childhood friend. Of course, to James, the woman he loved was also the most delicate and breathtakingly beautiful creature on the planet. Ella only had to fool people from a distance.

James and Ella made their way to the waiting carriage. This time, he made sure to walk through the populated, public areas of the palace. He wanted to make sure that as many people as possible saw him leading the royally clad woman to the carriage. Less than an hour after James and Ella had departed a page delivered Snow's letter to her father. King George was still in the garden with his paramour, Regina, when he received the news that his daughter had supposedly eloped. When he read the letter and angrily crumpled the sheet of paper into a ball.

Regina looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"What has happened?" She asked.

"It seems that your stepson has run away with my daughter!" The King seethed.

A look of panic crossed Regina's face.

"That is impossible. They must be stopped; otherwise all of our years of planning to take over the various kingdoms will be ruined." She stated angrily.

"No kidding!" George replied bitterly. "I will personally go after them and when I find them I will kill them both!"

He turned to leave, but Regina restrained him by placing a hand on his arm.

"No, you must stay here and see that nothing goes wrong with the hunt tomorrow. I will find them and deal with them personally." She promised with near glee showing on her face.


	10. Chapter 10

I am recovering from the flu and was pretty muddled headed when I wrote this. So, it may have a few more typos than usual. I just hope that it makes sense.

The name given to King Stefan's Queen is entirely my own invention because I could not find any reliable source for her name.

I only claim ownership over the words on these pages. For the most part, the characters are not my own.

Chapter 10

James reached across the table and grasped Ella's hand. A tavern girl eyed them suspiciously.

"You are doing a great job." He told her.

They had stopped at an inn in the northern most corner of the kingdom and he had taken a room for himself and a separate room for her. However, the way they were dressed in royal finery had caused more than a few heads to turn. Everyone at the inn was convinced that the separate rooms were just a show and that they were actually sleeping together. If only people had realized how far from the truth that idea was. James was miserable, he missed Snow White desperately.

"When will you be able to join Snow White?" Ella whispered.

Ella knew how much he missed Snow. She could see the longing in his eyes.

"It is too late to leave tonight." He sighed. "As long as we were not followed, it should be safe for me to leave first thing in the morning." He said hopefully.

The tavern girl placed plates of hot meat and bread on the table. James reached for a piece of bread. Ella, who was facing the door, let out a gasp.

"We were followed." She stated sadly.

James turned around and saw two of his father's solders standing in the doorway. It was clear that all concerned parties had been spotted.

The solders moved towards the table.

"What are you doing so far from the palace?" James asked the solders.

"Your majesty, your father was concerned that you left without word and sent us to insure your safety."

James knew that the men were lying. Regina and King George had sent the men to bring back Snow. Of course, he could not accuse them of outright lying. He also knew that word had probably been sent back that the princess was not at his side, which meant that Snow was in danger. She was at the farthest end of the kingdom from him at the moment and her life was in danger. He could not help her or even get word to her and that made an already miserable situation worse. His only consolation was that the solders would have to start looking for Snow all over again. They would start at the Summer Palace and move south. James believed that the woman he loved was more than capable of defending herself and that William would protect her as well. However, he wished that he could be by her side and face the danger with her.

William was impressed that Snow had insisted that they ride on with few breaks. He had always suspected that his friend was strong. However, he had never been in a situation where he had seen that strength in action.

As they rode along Snow kept one hand on the ring on the chain around her neck. She understood why she had to flee on an intellectual level, but it did not stop her heart from aching for her love.

"We are nearly there," William called over his shoulder, "It is just over the next ridge."

Snow mumbled something incoherent.

"Are you still angry with me for keeping the details of your mother's death a secret?" He asked.

"It is going to take more than a few hours for me to forgive you and trust you again." She informed him.

"You don't have to forgive me, but this trip will be a lot easier if I have your trust." He sighed.

"James trusts you and I trust him. That will have to do for now." She replied haughty.

William had been telling the truth about one thing, as soon as they cleared the next ridge a small house came into view. It was bigger than a cottage and grander than a hovel, but it was far from what one would call a palace. William slowed his horse to a stop and dismounted.

There were several small men working in a front garden. The only one Snow recognized was Doc. She figured the others must be his brothers, the rest of the dwarfs.

William approached the group and asked one of the small men, "Where is she?" He asked anxiously.

"Emma is inside the house where she is safe, of course." One of the other men replied.

William rushed inside without even a glance back at Snow.

Doc approached her horse.

"Your majesty, it is good to see you again." He gave her a kind smile.

Snow slid from her horse and returned the smile.

"It is good to see you again as well." She replied.

"Come and I will introduce you to my brother's and then I will take you inside to see Emma." He promised.

He took her to where the other men were working.

"This is Snow White." He announced.

Most of the men smiled and offered a pleasant greeting. However, one of the men, who seemed to have perpetual scowl on his face merely grunted and said, "Great, another royal mouth to feed!"

Snow was taken aback by his attitude, but Doc merely waved him off.

"Take no mind of Grumpy." He instructed the Princess. Then he glared at his brother.

"She is very important to Prince James and I don't think I have to remind you that we owe him a great deal. She will be treated with respect." Doc insisted.

Grumpy looked right at her, "Being a royal and all, I don't suppose that you have any useful skills?" He asked.

"I have a great many skills!" Snow insisted.

"Are any them useful though? We really don't need anyone to embroidery pillow cases!" He replied with a laugh.

Snow was about to point out that she could do a great many things, including hunting and trapping animals and making and mending clothes. However, William picked that moment to come out of the house.

"Snow, are you going to come inside?" He asked impatiently.

She took one last look at the ring on the chain around her neck and followed him inside.

It had been bright outdoors and the room that she now stepped into was dark. For that reason, Snow's eyes needed time to adjust to the dark interior of the lodge. When they did adjust she saw William standing there with his arm around a young woman. Her hair was golden and her eyes were light and Snow blurted out the first thing that came into her head.

"Why you look just like mama!" She said with wonderment in her voice.

"You look just like Granmama!" The woman exclaimed excitedly.

Most people assumed that Snow White resembled her mother, however she actually looked like her maternal grandmother who had dark hair, hazel eyes and skin as light as porcelain. The woman standing at William's side could have been the ghost of the late queen. However she was not a ghost. She was alive and vibrant and there was no doubt that she was Snow White's sister.

"Snow, this is Emma." William introduced her.

"She is my sister!" Snow White exclaimed as she ran forward to envelope the other woman in a tight embrace.

When they both pulled out of the embrace they stood and looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

"I am sure that you have a great many questions." William informed her. At the same time he was looking lovingly and longingly at his wife.

Snow found herself feeling jealous, not because she wanted William, but because they were together and she was still separated from the man she loved. She was still one of the most generous souls in all the lands and she quickly realized what had to be done.

"I do have questions. But they can wait. I am sure that the two of you would like to spend some time alone." She quickly excused herself from the room.

Emma and William waited until the door was closed and then passionately embraced.

"Is it safe for her to be here?" Emma asked cautiously.

William shrugged, "James seems to think that it is the best plan and he has not let us down so far. But, I don't want to talk about them right now. What I want to do is spend some quality time with my wife"

He pulled her towards him and kissed her passionately.

"I missed you." Emma whispered.

"I always miss you." Her husband replied.

Snow sat outside in the garden felling slightly useless. Nearby the dwarfs were arguing about dinner.

"I have an idea," Snow suggested, "Why don't we go into the woods and gather some herbs for dinner?"

They all turned and looked at her with surprise written on all 7 of there faces.

"I don't think that is a good idea." Doc commented.

"The woods are dangerous," Sneezy added, "All of those spores and pollen!" He sneezed.

"I am not afraid of spores and pollen." She informed them as she grabbed a basket. "I want to be useful." She added with a sideways glance at Grumpy. Then she strolled towards the forest edge.

The rest of the dwarfs glared at Grumpy.

"We can't let her go alone." Happy pointed out unnecessarily.

They all turned and glared at Grumpy again.

"Fine, I'll go with her." He replied reluctantly as he ran to catch up with her.

He caught up with Snow who was happily picking berries.

"Those could be poison, Sister." He informed her gruffly.

"They are perfectly safe and they will make a wonderful dessert for tonight." She replied.

"How do you know they are safe? I doubt they teach you about forest plants in princess 101 classes." He stopped and crossed his arms in defiance.

"I have spent a great deal of time in the forest near the Summer Palace. I know a lot about forest plants. For instance," She pointed at a tree, "The bark of that tree can be boiled and used as a pain relief." She pointed at a plant. "The leaves of that plant can be ground up and used to treat insect bites."

Despite everything, Grumpy was impressed.

"So, how did you learn about all of this stuff, trial and error?" He asked.

A sad look crossed Snow's face. "My mother taught me how to survive in the woods almost before I could walk. I think she was afraid that I might have to live on my own at some point and fend for myself." She said with in a serious tone.

"You won't have to do that as long as we are around!" He vowed.

Snow smiled, "I think I saw some wild lettuce over there. It will make a great salad." She ran towards a small stream.

Regina stood on the main balcony off of the grand hall of King Leopold's Castle. She survived the kingdom which reached as far as the eye beheld. Very soon, all of it would be hers. She tried to decide where she wanted to be when she learned the "devastating" news that King Leopold was dead. She had considered learning the news in her bed chamber, but that seemed to intimate. She thought that perhaps fate had intervened and made the choice for her when she heard a knock on the door of the grand hall. She moved to a fainting couch and picked up a crystal goblet of wine. It would make an important impression when she slowly let it slip from her hand and it shattered on the floor.

"Come in," She called out loudly.

A guard entered the room and bowed.

"I am sorry for the intrusion your majesty. The group of men who were sent the follow the carriage Prince James took have sent back word that they have tracked the Prince to a small inn in the on the northern frontier."

"Did they find James and Snow White?" She asked impatiently.

"The Prince was staying at the Inn; however Snow White was not with him. He had taken two rooms, one room for himself and one for the kitchen maid." The guard admitted reluctantly.

The goblet slipped from Regina's hand and shattered. However, it did not create the dramatic flair that she had planned.

"He tricked me!" She spat in anger.

"Would you like me to send word and have the Prince brought back to the palace?" The guard asked anxious to leave.

"No, he might still lead us to Snow White. Leave some men to watch the inn and have the rest of your men ride south from the Summer Palace. Search every likely hiding place where the Princess could be holed up!"

"But, that will be nearly impossible! It will be like finding a needle in a haystack" He protested.

"Then I suggest that you send me with patience and good eyesight!" She slammed back in anger.

She got up and walked over to a mirror and called up an image of Prince James. It became clear that he was indeed sitting in the tavern of an inn and the blonde maid was with him. Regina thought for a moment. She could not follow the movements of Snow White because the wretched girl had never looked into one of her magic mirrors. If Snow was not with James, then William is the only other person they would trust to protect her.

"Show me the Captain of King George's Guard, show me William!" She commanded.

An image appeared of a small home at the edge of the woods in the southern corner of the kingdom. Sure enough, William was there and while she did not see Snow White she saw what appeared to be a ghost. Beside William stood a woman who was the exact match in every way to Snow White's long dead mother.

"How is this possible since the Queen is dead?" Regina yelled in fury and through a glass at the mirror causing it to shatter into many pieces. A guard heard the commotion and ran into the room.

"Is there a problem, your majesty?" He asked the queen.

"Yes, there is a hovel on a ridge in the southern corner of the kingdom. It is near the diamond mines that were once mined by dwarfs until that soft-hearted step son of mine decided to industrialize the mining process. The dwarfs have becoming idle and they are now harboring enemies of the Crown. I want a legion of men sent to the home of the 7 dwarfs and I want everyone harbored within those walls either dead or imprisoned!" She sated like the force from a thousand winds.

The guard stepped back.

"Only the king has the power to order a legion of men to the south." The guard reminded her.

She stepped close to the guard until she was nearly in his face.

"King Leopold is dead. You take orders from me now!" She roared.

The guard suddenly seemed on the verge of tears.

"The King is dead?" He asked with a voice full of emotion.

"He died in a hutting accident this morning." She stated causally.

She did not know why it was taking so long for her to receive official word, but King George had sent her a private message soon after the supposed accident had occurred.

"Has the Prince been informed or his father's death?" The guard asked with feeling in his voice.

"How should I know if the Prince has been informed? He has disappeared, that means I am in charge and you answer to me." She stated forcefully.

"I will have to confirm that the King is dead." The guard sated forcefully in turn.

"Then do it! Then, carry out my orders, which I am amending. I want everyone in that hovel killed. No prisoners, only casualties." Regina seethed and turned her back in a dismissive fashion.

William was pacing back and forth trying to contain his anger.

"You let her go into the woods on her own?" He glared at the 6 dwarfs.

"Not alone, Grumpy went with her." Doc stated meekly.

"Wasn't Grumpy the same person who was complaining about having another mouth to feed?" He glared again.

"We didn't know that you had overheard him say that." Doc replied in a guilty fashion.

"Of course I heard him. His voice carries." William replied sarcastically.

They heard hysterical laughter coming from the woods.

"That sounds like Grumpy." Happy sated with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"The Grumpy I know never laughs." Dopey added with worry in his voice.

"Great," William commented, "He probably killed Snow and the act sent him over the edge into insanity."

Emma's eyes grew big with fear.

Grumpy emerged from the woods with a smile on his face. The others stared in horror until Snow stepped into the light behind him.

"This girl is great!" He yelled happily as he swung the basket full of eatables they had collected.

"I am not a girl I am a Woman!" Snow corrected.

He waved his hand dismissively, "Whatever! Wait until she tells you guys the story about the rabbit who stole her shoes." He laughed uproariously.

The other dwarfs looked at their brother as if they believed he had gone mad. William just shrugged. Snow White had that affect on men. She couldn't help it, she had the ability to disarm them and strip away their defenses.

She sure enough had used that power on Prince James when the two of them had first met. At the moment James and Ella were in his room at the inn when he heard a knock on the door. They had been discussing how he would send her back in the carriage in the morning. Then he would spend a few more days at the inn before hiring a horse to travel to the southern corner of the kingdom and reunite with his lady love.

He opened the door and was surprised to see his longtime friend, Prince Thomas standing in the doorway.

"Thomas, it is always good to see you. What brings you this far a field?" He asked.

"Your majesty, I am afraid that I am forced to convey devastating news." His friend replied solemnly.

James face fell. His friend was not the type of man who exaggerated.

"Come in at once and sit down." He instructed gravely. He took the prince's cloak and offered him a chair. For the first time, Thomas noticed that James was not alone. His eyes fell on Ella and he found himself dazzled by her beauty. James noticed his friend staring and made a hasty introduction.

"Thomas, this is Ella. I know I have mentioned her before."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." He bowed to her and was rewarded with a smile. "I only wish our introduction could have been under happier circumstances." He stated sadly.

"Right, you bring us news?" James asked. He had a sinking feeling that he knew what his friend was going to say.

"James, you are my oldest and dearest friends. Our fathers are like brothers. I do not know where to begin." He fidgeted in his seat.

"Let me make this easier. You bring me news about my father?" He asked.

"Your father, King Leopold was killed in a hunting accident this morning. His body will be placed on view at the castle until the end of the week. Then he will be placed in the royal crypt. At the end of the month you must be present to accept the crown or it will be given to your stepmother, Regina."

Thomas looked as if someone had ripped out his heart. He reached into a bag and pulled out a heavy medallion.

"That is the King's Seal!" Ella gasped as she dug her fingers into her the arm of her friend, James. Tears rolled down her cheeks. It had to be true otherwise Thomas would not be giving James the King's Seal. James hugged Thomas and fought back tears.

"I know how difficult it was for you to make this journey. I thank you for informing me yourself."

"I would have trusted the task to no one else." Thomas stated firmly.

"Now I must trust you with another task. Take the carriage and return to the Palace with Ella."

They both gave him a startled look.

"James, you must return with us to the Palace. You must claim the crown. There is something else. You will be expected to take a Queen." Thomas reminded.

James frowned at this information. He had forgotten that he would be expected to name his queen before his own coronation.

"I have to find Snow White. She is the only woman who I would ever want as my queen." James stated with firmness.

"Finding Snow White and getting your followers to accept her as your queen maybe harder than you think. Her father, King George has placed a bounty on her head." Thomas informed them in a matter of fact tone.

"What kind of father would place a bounty on the head of his daughter?" Ella asked in disgust.

"What are the charges?" James asked.

"She is accused of killing your father in order to speed up your accession to the throne." Thomas informed them wearily. "There is no way on earth that your followers will allow you to marry a woman who they believe killed their beloved King."

Ella looked devastated and she expected James to look the same.

However, James had a look of determination on his face.

"The woman I love is not a killer!" He professed with conviction. "I will find Snow White and prove that she is innocent of my father's death and then I will marry her and she will be my queen." He stated firmly.

Ella gave him and encouraging smile. However, his friend Thomas did not look as if he believed it would be that easy.

Snow White sat alone at the table in the kitchen of the dwarf's home. Her pale features were lit by moonlight streaming in through the curtain-less windows.

"Having trouble sleeping?" Snow was asked.

She turned and saw her sister standing behind her.

"Just a little bit of trouble because of the days events." She admitted.

"It is a lot to process." Emma admitted. "You really had no clue that you had a sister?"

"None at all," Snow declared with wide eyed surprise. "The only hint I was ever given was a story that our mother read to me about two sisters named Snow White and Rose Red."

"I don't even remember our mother," Emma sighed sadly, "You are lucky to have memories of her."

Snow nodded her head in agreement.

"Did you always know that we were sisters?" Snow asked.

"Not until a few years ago. I grew up thinking I was the adopted daughter of King Stefan and Queen Gwendolyn. I grew up as a playmate to Aurora. A few years ago I was taken aside and it was explained to me that my mother had become pregnant with me right before Regina worked her way into our father's life. She had come to fear for her own life and for mine as well. She turned to her brother for help. She told King George that as she needed to stay with her brother for a while to help the Queen recover from a miscarriage she had recently suffered."

Emma paused to allow Snow to think about what she had told her.

"Why did my mother leave me at the palace with my father? She could have taken me with her to stay with King Stefan."

"You were in no danger with King George. You had a fiercely protective governess and King Stefan's court was in mourning because of the loose of their heir. Stefan and Gwendolyn felt you were better off in your own home." Emma explained.

"Our mother clearly agreed." Snow sighed.

"She would not have left you in a dangerious situation. From what I understand, our father had not been completely corrupted by Regina at that time." Emma continued, "Shortly before our mother gave birth to me King Stefan announced that he and his queen intended to adopt a child. After I was born, I became their adopted child. Less than a year later Queen Gwendolyn became pregnant with Aurora and the two of us were raised together."

"Were you aware that Regina killed our mother, with our father's knowledge?" Snow asked.

"I suspected, but you have proof?" Emma asked wide eyed.

"I overheard Regina and our father discussing the whole thing 12 years ago. I had forgotten until recently. She killed James' mother as well." She stated firmly.

"Is that how you and James formed an attachment? You are attached?" Emma asked cautiously and waited for Snow's response.

"We are attached," Snow admitted. "But not because our mother's were killed by the same woman. James and I have been in love for 12 years. Do you know him?" She asked.

"Only by reputation, Aurora talked about him a time or two." Emma admitted.

Snow frowned, "I think Aurora and I need to get together one day and compare notes. Never mind that though. James is the real reason why I can't sleep. I miss him immensely. I have become so used to sleeping by his side that I can't fall asleep without him." Snow admitted with great longing in her voice.

Emma gave her sister an empathetic look. "I know what you mean, when my husband is away I am unable to sleep without him. I have had may a sleepless nights lately."

A look of concern passed Emma's face. "Of course, I am a married woman of a man loyal to the Court and it is our lot in life to pass sleepless nights without our husband. However, you are supposed to be a maiden still. Exactly how attached have you become to Prince James?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"James is the kindness and most brave person I know and he is honorable!" Snow stated firmly as if that was the only answer she intended to give and her sister would have to be satisfied.

"I take it he is cute?" Emma teased.

Snow gave her a shocked look. "Emma, puppies are cute. James is drop dead gorgeous. He used to be a toad though and I loved him even then. He gave me his mother's ring for protection and I wear it on this chain."

She pulled the chain out from under her gown to show Emma the ring. Only the ring was no longer there. The chain was broken and had somehow become twisted around her hair and that was why she had not noticed the breakage.

"I've lost the ring." She exclaimed with a voice tinged in fear.

"I am sure that James will forgive you." Emma tried to console her sister.

"How will I be able to forgive myself? That ring is a part of me, we must find it!" She urgently replied.

"When do you know that you last had it?" Emma asked calmly.

"As Grumpy and I were coming back out of the forest after gathering the berries and wild lettuce I saw the sun reflecting off of the band."

"At least that means that you did not loose it in the forest." Emma remarked with relief. It was clear to her that Snow would have instead on tearing up the forest if she thought that was where the ring had gone missing.

"It has to be in the house or in the yard. At first light we will find it." Emma promised again in what she hoped was a voice of reason and consolation.

But Snow was beyond reason and was not to be consoled.

"I will not be able to rest without the ring." Snow insisted with determination in her voice.

She looked at the window into the moonlit yard.

"Emma, I see the ring over by the tree!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Emma looked out, but she could not see anything. She was not sure if Snow had better night vision than her or if it was just wishful thinking on the part of her sister.

"If the ring is indeed out there we can get it first thing in the morning." Emma promised.

"It is out there and it will take me less than a minute to retrieve." Snow promised as she leapt to her feet and rushed towards the door. She had it open and was outside before Emma could stop her.

"The woods are dangerious at night!"

Emma called to empty air. She thought for a moment that maybe she should wake up one of the dwarfs or William. Then she saw movement in the forest and knew that if she hesitated long enough to raise an alarm it would be too late for her sister.

Snow knelled down to pick up the ring. She slipped it on her finger for safe-keeping until she could repair the chain.

"Snow, do not move." She heard her sister whisper.

A second later she felt something fly above her head and then she heard the unmistakable sound of metal lodging in flesh and she heard a thud.

Snow realized that she had closed her eyes tight. When she opened them she saw her sister standing in front of her and looking at something behind the tree. She turned and looked and saw a dead soldier lying on the ground behind her with a knife sticking out of this chest.

Snow White looked at her younger sister in awe.

"Can you teach me to do that?" She asked.

"Yes," Emma hissed, "Some other time though. We have to get back inside. There are more soldiers in the woods.

The girls held hands and they ran back to the house and bolted the door shut tight.

"Did you recognize the soldier?" Emma asked urgently.

"His armor was that of the guards from King Leo's Kingdom." Snow admitted.

By this time the rest of the household was awake.

"We are under attack!" Emma informed the men.

"Has King George found us?" William asked anxiously.

"Worse, Regina has finally found me!" Emma informed her husband.

Snow looked at her oldest friend and thought that she had never seen him look more frightened.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Dwarfs had a pile of weapons on the table.

"What are you good with?" Emma asked her sister without hesitation.

"I am good with a bow and arrow." Snow replied without reluctance As she picked up the weapons and took her place at a window.

"If we have to split up, Grumpy should go with Snow and show her to the cave." William suggested as he grabbed a sword.

"Agreed," Emma responded without looking up at her husband.

Snow looked at them quickly with admiration. She wondered if she and James would ever develop that deep of a bound where they actually shared one mind. She wondered if they would ever have the chance.

Snow broke pane on the window and started to shoot at the soldiers lurking in the shadows. The same moonlight that had allowed her to see the ring helped her to see the enemy. Several of the dwarfs were doing the same thing.

"We are going to have to go out there and engage them with swords." William sighed.

Several of the Dwarfs nodded in agreement.

"Right," Emma agreed, "Do you want to take the back or go out the front door and cause a distraction?" She asked her husband.

"I'll go out front and take on as many as I can. You take Bashful and Happy and hit attack them in the woods." He sighed. He didn't like it but it had to be done.

"Are you insane?" Snow asked. "It is too dangerous! Maybe we can reason with them and find out what they want?" Snow suggested.

William shook his head. "They want Emma and they want you and there is no way I am giving them Emma and James would kill me if I gave you up." He stated solemnly.

Emma leaned over and kissed her husband fiercely.

"Be careful. I love you." She told him as she slipped out the back door with two of the Dwarfs.

He watched her go for a few seconds and then turned back to the rest of the group.

"Grumpy, you are responsible for Snow. Cover us until you see us engaging the soldiers and then get her out of here and to the cave. The rest of you come with me." He informed the remaining dwarfs.

Snow continued to fire at the enemy until she saw her sister appear in the shadows. The next thing she saw was William and the rest of the dwarfs rushing at the soldiers. Emma, Bashful and Happy were engaged in sword fights with some of the soldiers.

"Ok, Sister, it is time to leave this party!" Grumpy informed Snow.

"We can't just abandon them!" She protested.

"They will be fine." He promised.

Snow allowed him to lead her to a back entrance. On the way she grabbed her storybook and held it close to her chest. He led her to a section of the woods away from the battle. Snow looked back at the battle and saw Regina lurking in the shadows. The sight made her blood run cold. As Grumpy led her away she failed to notice that a sheet of paper fell out of her book and landed on the ground.

Emma and her allies were making short work of the enemy. There were only a few guards left.

William called over his shoulder to his wife, "Go! I will be right behind you!" He vowed.

Emma nodded and cut down the guard nearest to her and then turned and fled into the woods. Happy and Bashful were right behind her.

Grumpy led Snow to a large cave hidden behind some brush. He pulled back to the foliage and they entered a pitch black cavern. He lit a few torches on the wall soon the interior was illuminated with a soft glow. Snow looked around and saw that the interior was well furnished with a table and chairs, several trunks and some sleeping pallets pilled in a corner.

"What is this place?" She asked.

"It is an unused area of the old mine. When Prince James automated the mining operation, this section was shut down. We are safe here." He assured her.

They heard a rustling sound at the entrance and Grumpy placed his hand on a sword that he carried at his side. Snow nearly wept when she saw her sister standing at the entrance to the cave. She threw her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly. Meanwhile, Grumpy had a similar reunion with two of his brothers.

"Where are the others?" Snow asked anxiously.

"They should have been right behind us." Emma speculated.

"I hope Graham is alright." Snow looked towards the entrance.

Emma gave her a shocked look, "I thought I was the only one who called him that?"

"That is his name." Snow said softly.

"You have known him a lot longer than I have." Emma managed a weak smile.

"Oh Emma, it is not like that." Snow promised, "I am not jealous or your marriage. Maybe I am a little envious of the fact that the two of you were actually able to be married. Days like today make me wonder if James and I will ever be able to marry." A forlorn look crossed her face.

"If you are meant to be together, you will be." Emma gave her an encouraging smile.

"Not if Regina gets her way. She was there tonight, did you know that?" Snow said sadly.

Emma took in a sharp breath of air. "Are you sure she was there?" She asked anxiously.

"I saw her hiding in the woods. Not only did she send men to kill us, she went along to watch! None of us will ever be safe along as she is alive. She has to pay." Snow seethed.

Snow had been sitting on a chair and now she got to her feet and headed for the entrance to the cave.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked with a wide eyed look.

"To make sure that Regina is never able to harm any of us again." She stated firmly through gritted teeth.

"Snow, at least wait until William returns. He will know what to do." Emma pleaded.

"I know what has to be done." Snow whispered as if she were in a daze.

Regina stood in the clearing and surveyed the bodies of King Leopold's men. Several guards rushed up to her and then stopped when they saw their fallen comrades.

"Where were you 10 minutes ago when you were needed?" She asked with anger in her voice.

"I am sorry your majesty. We had trouble crossing the river."

"You are here now. Burn down the hovel." She pointed to the home of the dwarfs.

"What about the horses, your majesty?" One of the men asked.

"Set them free." She commanded.

She stood and watched as they set fire to the dwelling. It was a small victory, but it made her feel good none the less. The light form the burning structure illuminated the ground and she noticed the piece of paper that had fallen from the book. She picked it up and read it and counted herself lucky. It was the note that James had left for Snow when he returned to his father's palace.

She read it out loud.

My dearest Snow,

I regret that I have to leave you, but an important matter has arisen and I must return to my Father's Castle. My journey should be short and I will meet you in my room at the Summer Palace this evening. At which time, I hope to be able to share with you some wonderful news. Until then know that you have my eternal love,

Charming

Regina sneered at the sentimentality, but saved it anyway figuring it might be useful in the future.

William and the rest of the dwarfs watched from the woods as the soldiers set fire to their home. A blast of heat hit them and almost knocked them off of their feet. William had to restrain several of them from rushing forward towards the burning structure.

"It is no good, the fire is too hot and you would be putting your lives as risk if you tried to save it." William pleaded.

"It is our home." Doc protested.

"I know and it is gone now. I promise you will rebuild it." William vowed.

An ash cloud lingered over the land where the cottage had stood. A soft rain fell and steam hissed where drops of water hit hot earth.

It was a sad, angry and wet group that made their way towards the secret cave entrance.

Emma and William embraced tightly. When they pulled apart he looked around the cave.

"Where is Snow?" He asked in a panicked voice.

"She left." Grumpy stated simply.

"She was convinced that Regina was personally to blame for the attack and she went after her." Emma admitted reluctantly.

"Regina was there." Doc stated bitterly.

"She set fire to our home!" Sleepy admitted sadly.

"She burnt it to the ground!" William added.

"I should have gone with Snow White. I could have held her down!" Grumpy said with hatred in his voice.

"I'm worried about her." Emma informed her husband. "I should have been able to stop her. I am her sister."

William embraced her tightly, "You hardly know her. We have to find James. He may be the only one who can stop her from doing something she will eventually regret."

It was dawn when Snow White emerged from the woods in the spot where the home of the 7 Dwarfs had stood. What she saw broke her heart. The beautiful home and gardens had been reduced to a smoking, burnt ruin. Nothing remained but ash and scorched earth. Snow sat down on a nearby rock and sobbed. She was more determined than ever to make Regina pay for all that she had done. This was the lowest moment in her life, even worse than when her mother had died. At least then she had her father and William. Now she was all alone. She heard a sound behind her and turned around quickly, her hand went to the trusty bow that she carried by her side. She saw a horse emerging from the forest. Not just any hose, it was James' horse. The one he had entrusted her two when she had fled the Summer Palace.

When Regina had ordered the horses to be set free, this horse had stayed behind when the others fled. It was almost as if her were waiting for her to return.

The horse ambled over to her and stopped and looked down at her as if to say, "Are you just going to sit there and feel sorry for yourself or are you going to get up and do something about the situation?"

She wanted to hug him. She was no longer alone! Of course she would have rather had James there with her, but his most trusted steed was the next best thing.

"Were you waiting for me?" She asked.

The horse neighed in response.

"You were waiting for me!" She jumped to her feet and hugged the animal around his neck.

James shifted the seal from hand to the next. He had stopped at an inn to eat a quick lunch and give his horse a chance to rest and be watered. The seal felt heavy in his hands and he knew that it had more to do with the responsibility that it represented rather than the fact that is was cast from solid gold. All he had to do was show the inn keeper the seal and he and been offered anything he could dream of needing and many things that he did not want. In addition to food and drink, the latter which he had declined, he had been offered a fresh horse and the services of the daughter of the inn keeper. The horse belonged to Prince Thomas and he was not at liberty to make a trade. As for the services of the daughter of the inn keeper, he was going to have to look very closely at the past behavior of other royals. A sense of sadness suddenly came over him and he found himself unable to explain the origin of the feelings. He wanted to weep. He was finishing a meal of bread and cheese when the door to the inn opened. Sunlight streamed in and he heard his name being called.

"James, I am so glad that we found you." William breathed a sigh of relief.

James rose to his feet and turned to face William and noticed the woman standing beside him.

"Emma! I would recognize you anywhere!" He beamed, "You look just like Snow's mother."

"So I have been told." She stated dryly.

"Something is wrong with Snow!" It was a statement, not a question.

"We are not sure. " William admitted.

"I am," James informed them, "Just now I felt profound sadness. It was her sadness." He stated with feeling. "Tell me what happened?" He begged.

"The home of the 7 Dwarfs was attacked by Regina. She burnt the dwelling to the ground and she tried to kill us all. My sister went after her." Emma said sadly.

"We think she plans on killing Regina." William added.

"You were supposed to protect her!" James challenged.

Emma's eyes grew large and she flew into protective mode. "Back off. He did the best he could, but even you have to admit that even on a good day she is a bit of a hand full!" She eyed him angrily.

James turned his head in order to hide a smile.

"We have been hearing things on our trip up here." William added.

"What sort of things?" James asked.

"Reports that Regina sent a group of men to speak to the Princess and that she attacked them. That is not what happened at all." Emma insisted.

"My father is dead. I think King George and Regina had a hand in his death. I need to find proof though. Also, King George has put a bounty on Snow's head. The Kingdom is in shambles and my place is at my father's castle." James handed them the seal.

"This is the Kings seal." William marveled.

"I will protect you." James promised.

"You have done a great job so far." Emma replied sarcastically.

"I know, but this seal will grant you safe passage throughout the kingdom. There is a small outpost in the far north that is manned by guards whom I would trust with my life. Show them this seal when you reach there and they will give you anything you need. Show it at any inn or tavern along the way and you will be well cared for." James informed them in an unapologetic way.

"If you would feel safer, I will ride with you to the outpost." James suggested.

"What about your coronation?" William asked anxiously.

"Your safety is more important. My coronation can wait." James insisted.

"The seal should be enough to grant us safe passage. How can we ever repay you?" William asked.

James sighed, "Find a way for the woman you love to claim her crown," He indicated Emma, "So that the woman I love can be free to be with me." He stated with feeling. "Soon I will be forced to pick a queen. There is only one woman who I want by my side and that woman is Snow White."

"What of the rumor that King George has placed a bounty on her head?" William asked.

"It is more than a rumor. She is wanted in connection with my father's death. That is a lie though, but it will make her harder to find." James admitted.

"You have to find her!" Emma pleaded.

"I will find her." James promised with conviction in his voice.

"Will you find her before she kills your stepmother?" William added.

"I promise you that I will and when I do I will make her my queen and I will never let her go! Snow and my love is True Love and it is Eternal Love and that is the compass that will always allow us to find each other." James stated with feeling.

Snow paced nervously outside of the castle. She had heard rumors about the Dark One. He was aid to eat first born children. She was a first born child. She wondered if there was an age limit.

The horse eyed her sadly as if he was begging her not to go into the house of darkness. She was desperate though and desperation often overrides common sense.

She cautiously entered the castle. She had expected it to be dark and dank. It was surprisingly bright and clean. There was even a vase of roses on the entryway table.

The dark one appeared, they said he was ancient and the darkness had turned his skin gold to point that he glistened. To Snow he seemed whimsical and that idea carried over when he spoke. His voice was so high, he almost cackled. He made her jump.

"What brings the lovely and innocent Snow White to me doorstep?" He asked in a bemused way.

Snow swallowed a lump in her throat, "People say you can see the future. Can you see mine?" She finally asked timidly.

"Take my hands and we will see, Dearie." He laughed at the pun and held out his hands.

She hesitated, but took them at last.

"They will not bite and neither will I." He promised as if he knew what she was thinking about his dietary habits.

"What do you see?" She asked.

"The future moves forwards, but it moves sideways as well. Yours is moving sideways and therefore, difficult to read."

A look of disappointment crossed her face.

"I sense that you are seeking something else as well?" He asked.

"I need to kill someone." She admitted.

"Not so innocent after all?" He challenged.

Snow cast her eyes down at the floor.

"Follow me." He led her through a doorway to a workroom. He rummaged in a box and pulled out an arrow head. "I see you know how to use a bow and arrow." He looked at the weapon that hung by her side.

"I am a good shot." She boated.

"That will help, but this arrow head will always find its mark." He promised.

"It will help me to kill the Queen?" She asked.

He seemed surprised by her admission but continued, "This arrow head is magical. It will slowly drain the life from the heart of whomever it pierces." He laid it in the palm of her hand and her fingers closed around it.

"I have heard that you never offer something for nothing. What is the price I must pay for this arrowhead?" She asked suspiciously.

"Just know this, Dearie. All magic comes with a price. You may not know what that price is now, but if you use that arrow head you may pay dearly in the future." He said cryptically.


	12. Chapter 12

Hopefully the fact that this is a really long chapter will make up for the fact that it has been ages since I updated. I would be a lot happier if real life didn't take up so much of my time and I could spend more time in my fantasy world.

I only claim ownership of the word on this page and have no delusions of anything more.

Chapter 12

James stared at the faces of 7 very unhappy dwarfs.

"We are homeless because your stepmother decided to torch our home." Grumpy crossed his arms in defiance.

"I am so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen." James stated in an apologetic fashion.

"Never the less, it did happen because we were helping someone under your protection." Doc scolded.

"We were protecting two people supposedly under your protection." Grumpy reminded.

"I want to make it up to you. Come live in the castle until I can rebuild your house." He suggested.

"You want us to live under the same roof as the woman who tried to kill us and burned our home?" Grumpy asked as he snorted a sarcastic laugh.

"You have a point." James admitted reluctantly.

He thought for a couple of minutes.

"The Summer Palace is vacant right now. You can stay there." He said, his face brightening.

"You want us to stay at King George's Summer Palace?" Sleepy asked.

"Since My father's death, King George has had to return to his main castle. The Summer Place should be nearly empty. A few servants will be there." He shrugged.

"King Leopold is dead? Several of the Dwarfs asked at the same time in shocked voices.

James swallowed a lump that was forming in his throat. He had been unable to process what his father's death really meant, but every time he had to talk about it, the situation became more real.

"Yes and I am sure that King George and Regina are responsible. I need to find proof though. King George has also placed a bounty on Snow's beautiful head. "He stated angrily.

"What is the charge?" Doc asked.

"He is accusing her of killing my father in order to advance my ascension to the throne. It is a lie of course, but I have to find Snow before King George."

Each of the Dwarf's in turn offered words of sympathy to the Prince.

"If I can prove that King George is responsible for my father's death, it would be an act of war and I would have no choice but to retaliate." James said sadly.

"You can count on our support!" The brothers chorused together.

"Will the servants let us stay at the Summer Palace? They don't know us from Jack!" Grumpy huffed.

"My kingdom is allied with that of King George and we have reciprocal access to each other's lands." James informed them.

"Say that again?" Dopey asked.

"I can use his Summer Palace and I can make sure that the servants allow you to stay." He promised.

"You need to find Snow," They reminded him.

"I will find her, but I will go with you as far as the Summer Palace first. Then I will find Snow, clear her name by proving that she did not kill my father, take my rightful place on the throne and make Snow White my Queen! " He stated wearily.

Ella was busy overseeing the kitchen, but her mind was not on the task. Many visitors had been in and out of the castle the last two days to view the body of King Leopold and her kitchen was expected to feed them all. However the most important person, the dead son of the dead king had yet to make an appearance. She was worried about James because she knew that he was worried about Snow White. Love was admirable, but at the moment his kingdom needed his attention.

"Roast the potatoes and then place them by the fire on the grate to keep them warm. We need to get the meat roasting for tonight. We have no way of knowing how many we will need to feed." She directed her team of cooks. Ella brushed a lock of hair out of her face.

Thomas stood in the doorway and watched her work. To some she was only a kitchen maid. He saw so much more, she commanded the kitchen of one of the largest castles in all of the kingdoms and she did it with poise, command and good humor. Her staff adored her, his best friend loved her and the more time he spent with her the more he found to admire. He found himself falling head over boots in love with her. The sight of her brought a smile to his face.

"If you would only let me, I could take you away from all of this." He called out.

Ella looked up and smiled when she saw the handsome prince standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe with his legs crossed at his ankles.

"What makes you think I want to be swept off my feet?" She asked shyly.

"I think that is your problem, you like it here." He laughed.

"It has been hard since Leopold died. I have barely had time to think about what his passing means. If James does not return and Regina claims the crown…" That idea was to horrible to comprehend.

Thomas sighed, "You need a break. Take a walk with me?" He asked.

She looked around the kitchen. There was so much to be done and her cooks had not had a break. Why should she be allowed the luxury?

"There is too much to be done before this evening meal." She protested.

"Ella, you are exhausted. I am not asking you to run away with me. Come for a walk and when we get back I'll help out in the kitchen." He promised.

She eyed him suspiciously. "A prince is going to help in the kitchen?" She asked wearily.

He grinned, "As a prince I have spent a lot of time in camps. When we get back I am going to teach you and your cooks how to make the field camp delicacy known as Shepherd's Pie." He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen.

James pulled a cloak over his head and shoulders and slipped into the castle. He did not want to be seen by anyone, but he was desperate to search Regina's room in the hopes of finding some proof that she was responsible for the death of King Leopold. He easily slipped into Regina's room and started looking through drawers and trunks. Buried in a trunk he found an ornate box. Within it was a book. When he opened it, he knew at once what it was. He had found a book of spells, which could only mean one thing. Regina was practicing black magic. He flipped through the pages and was transfixed by spells for everything from making the crops of a neighboring kingdom fail to a spell to make a person believe they were in love with you.

That was particularly ugly because it required the heart of a rival and it made the heart of the person on whom the spell was cast grow empty over time. He wondered if maybe Regina had cast the spell on King George. If that was true he was beyond salvation. He had been under the spell for too long and his heart now belonged to Regina.

He flipped to another page and read about the sleeping curse. One under the curse appeared to be dead, but was really only in a deep sleep. The evil part of the curse was that many under it were buried alive because their loved ones believed them to be dead. A kiss from the curse victims True Love would awaken the victim. So, that curse was not without hope.

James shuddered and closed the book.

"What a wicked thing." He stated out loud. He stood transfixed by the book for several minutes. Just holding it made him feel cold and helpless. There was so much evil in their lives and he was tired of evil winning. But how were they supposed to win if Regina had black magic on her side.

The spell the book had over him was broken when he saw movement in the garden outside.

James looked out the window and saw Ella and Thomas walking hand in hand. They seemed happy ad he was glad for them. They stopped to sit on a bench and he watched as Thomas bent over and picked a flower and gave it to Ella. He leaned over to kiss her and suddenly James felt like he was intruding on a private moment.

He turned back to the task of searching through Regina's drawers. He found a folded sheet of paper that looked familiar. He unfolded it and realized that it was the letter he had first written Snow telling her of his love for her. He felt anger grip his heart. Regina had gone through his things and taken something special and private. It was the ultimate form of intrusion.

Snow stretched her back and tried to get comfortable on the tree limb on which she was perched. She was wearing brown leather pants and a brown leather vest over a rough woven tunic. Over it all she wore a green hooded cape that hid most of her features. She had seen the wanted posters nailed to trees all over the kingdom. She had been there for a day, hiding out in the forest waiting for a chance to slip into king Leopold's castle and kill Regina. However, there were too many people coming and going through the castle courtyard for her to risk entering the fortress. She wondered what had happened to bring that many people to the castle. She had not seen James, so she figured that it was not something serious. Snow had no way of knowing that people were assembling from all over the Kingdom and neighboring kingdoms for a funeral.

She saw movement in side Regina's chamber. A figure wearing a cloak of some kind and even though she could not see a face she realized it was then or never. She took aim with the bow and as the arrow flew through the air and out of her control the cloaked figure turned and she was able to see a face. It was not Regina.

"James!" She screamed and reflexively she reached out as trying to call the deadly weapon back into her hand.

She heard the thud as the arrow collided with his body and he hit the ground. She was out of the tree in an instant and no longer concerned with who might see her entering the castle. She ran to Regina's room and found him lying on the floor.

"James!" She exclaimed urgently, kneeling by his side.

"Snow", He said weakly, "I found you." He smiled and then winched with pain.

"Yes you did. You're bleeding!" She whispered.

"An arrow to the shoulder will do that to a guy." He replied weakly.

"I have to get help." She started to stand up, but he stopped her.

"No, someone will see you. Help me back to my room. I have something to bind the wound."

She helped him to sit up and he groaned. Blood was flowing out of his wound.

She looked for something to hold against the injury in order to slow the loss of blood. She grabbed a cloak from the bed and pressed it against his shoulder and then half carried and half dragged him to his room.

She laid him on the bed and looked for supplies to clean him up and stop his wound from bleeding. She found a whole drawer full of bandages and salve.

"Do you get injured often?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Until I met you, I was never injured." He tried to laugh, but it caused him too much pain.

"I am so sorry." She whispered, "I thought you were Regina. I was trying to kill Regina! She knows that I know that she killed our mothers and now she wants to kill me!" She shuddered with fear.

"I know." He stated simply. "Snow, I do not want you going after Regina alone. We are a team, we do things together. Do you understand?" He asked with authority in his voice.

"Yes, but James you were right, there was a Rose Red. It is Emma, she is my sister. Regina attacked us and she burnt the house to the ground. She wanted to kill us both. I am afraid that it has come down to me having to kill her before she wrecks any more havoc on our lives."

"There has to be another way to stop Regina and we will find it together. For now, et me worry about protecting Emma. I had my suspicions about Emma being your sister, but I knew for sure when I met her." He admitted.

"You met Emma?" She asked in a quizzed manner.

"Yes and did and she and William are safe. I sent them to a Northern Outpost of the Kingdom. I trust the men there with my life." He assured her.

She gave him a weary look, "We trusted the Dwarfs. They were not the problem. Regina found us through magic or some other means. We cannot underestimate her."

James nodded, "I will not let her find them this time. A couple of fairies owed me a favor. They cast a protection spell over the Outpost. No one will find them until they are ready to be found." He promised.

"You are going to have to take the arrowhead out of my shoulder." He informed her.

A look of sheer terror crossed her face.

"I don't want to cause you anymore pain." She said with tears in her eyes. She looked down at the arrow sticking out of his upper arm and all she could think about was the fact that she had caused him pain.

He saw her turning whiter than normal and he knew that he was about to lose her and she is the only one who can help him now.

"James, I can't do it. Let me go find someone else to take the arrow out!" She pleaded. Her eyes were still transfixed the arrow.

He reached over with his free hand and placed a hand directly under her chin. He tilted her head up until her eyes met his.

"You can do anything and more to the point together we can do anything." He gave her a loving look.

She shook her head and tears rolled down her face.

"I can't." She repeated with trembling hands.

He gave her a serious look. "Snow someday I will have to cause you pain. It may be on our wedding night or it may be sooner and it will kill me to do so, but alas it will have to be done. I hope when the time comes I will be able to distract you so that you will not notice." He managed a seductive smile.

She blushed. She could not believe that he was thinking about sex at that particular moment and what embarrassed her most was that he had suggested it might happen before they were legally married. Surely things like that were not done? Of course there had been some heated moments between them lately, but they had always been interrupted. She wanted to be a close to him as possible and she longed for their relationship to be intimate. But for the first time she realized that she was scared.

At the moment, she needed to get the arrow out of him and in order to do that she needed to distract him.

She grabbed him and held his face in her hands and focused on his eyes. In his eyes she saw trust and love and faith. Still focusing on his eyes she drew his face closer to hers. She kissed his lips as lightly as the drops of a summer rain kissed the petals of a flower. She deepened the kiss and one of her hands dropped down to caress the nape of his neck. He gave into the kiss, drawing strength from her love.

He had missed her so much while they were apart. As Snow continued to kiss him deeply and passionately she reached over with one hand and pulled the arrow out. She was surprised that it came out easily. She kissed him again lightly on the lips and then she pulled back and gave him a satisfied smile.

"How was that for distraction?" She asked shyly.

He found it hard to speak.

"Pretty good, except that I am still bleeding." He said weakly.

She realized he was indeed bleeding and looked around for water and bandages.

Snow brought some water to wash his wounds and began to unlace his doublet. Her fingers against his skin burned more than the wound in his shoulder, but in an entirely different way.

"You are pretty good at undressing a guy." James teased.

She blushed, "Thank you." She stated simply.

"You have beautiful hands. They are so soft." He continued.

"I wear gloves whenever possible."

He looked down at her hand and saw that she was wearing the ring on her left hand where one would place a betrothal ring. He thought of her in those terms, but she had always worn the ring on a chain around her neck.

"When did this happen?" He asked as he ran his thumb across the ring.

"I thought it was time." She said softly. "If you would prefer that I not wear it on my hand I will get a new chain and put it back around my neck." She stated.

In short she was asking him if he wanted her to hide the ring. Hide their relationship. That was the last thing that he wanted.

"No, of course not, it belongs on your finger. I just wish I had been the one to place it there." He replied wistfully.

She smiled as she helped him ease off his doublet and tunic.

She had found water and clean cloths. She dipped the cloth in water and dabbed at his wound. He placed one of his hands on the wrist of the hand she was using to clean the wound and stroked her wrist. She smiled at him again.

"You are not making this easy." She sighed.

"I missed you Snow, I don't like us being apart." He said with feeling in his voice.

He picked up her other hand and raised it to his lips and kissed it. The kiss was searing and it made her feel weak.

"The wound is not deep. The arrow barely scratched the surface." She informed him.

He wondered if that were true than why it hurt so much and there had been so much blood?

She cleaned him and bandaged him as best she could by binding the scratches. Then she helped him change into a clean tunic. As soon as the he was redressed he pulled her into his arms before kissing her long and hard. He put all of his energy, sadness and fear into the kiss and soon he felt his worries melt away. As long as he held her in his arms all was right with the world.

"James, what you said about us being together before our marriage. That can't happen." She stated firmly.

He nodded in agreement, even though he did not understand.

"I thought you wanted me as much as I want you?" He asked bewildered.

She smiled sadly. "I do want you. Sometimes I am afraid I will go crazy being apart from you. But, James you are to be King. What if we make love and then you are forced to take another woman as your queen. That would unfair to her." She said sadly as she cast her eyes down at the floor.

He took both her hands in his and gave her a serious look.

"Snow, you are the only woman I want by my side."

"What about the coronation and the fact that there is a price on my head. James, my father is offering a reward for my capture." She stated excitedly. "I have been pulling down reward posters for days." She pointed out.

"I have been doing the same thing. I left the dwarfs at the Summer Palace and every tree we passed on the way there seemed to have one of those damned posters pined to it. One night we stopped to camp and we built a bonfire with the blasted things!" He sighed. "It still does not change the fact that it is not safe for you to be out in the open right now."

Absentmindedly Snow picked up his doublet to place it on a chair. A piece of paper fell out fluttered to the floor. It was the piece of paper He had found in Regina's room. The letter Ella had convinced him to write before he had been reunited with Snow.

She picked it up, "What is this?" She asked curiously.

It was the love letter that Ella had encouraged him to write to Snow. He had never meant for her to see it. Rather it had been a way for him to sort through 12 years of feelings he had for his lady love.

"It is nothing!" He lied and he tried to grab to from her, but he was at a disadvantage because of his bandaged arm.

She opened it and read it out loud.

My dearest Snow,

12 years ago I gave you my mother's ring and hope I have brought you the protection and happiness I wished for you that day and every day since. You may not know this, but 12 years ago I also gave you my heart. I fell deeply in love with you that day and not a moment has passed since then that I have not thought of you and yearned have you by my side. I have spent every waking hour since that day working to become a man that you can love and respect. Every dragon that I have killed, and there have been many, I have done so in order to make the world a safer place for you, my love. I do not know if you are free to return my feelings or if you have any desire to do so. But know this to be true, wherever I am and for as long as I draw breath, my heart will ache to be with you, my soul will yearn to be united with you, my body will burn for your touch. If you feel the same, come to me at my father's castle and we will be together.

Yours always and forever,

Prince James

A look of pure adoration crossed her face as she read the words and tears sprang to her eyes. When she was finished she refolded it and held it against her heart.

"I wrote that before I found you in the forest. You were never meant to read it." He admitted.

"Why not, it is beautiful." She smiled.

"It no longer does justice to the way I feel about you. I wrote that to a girl a met 12 years ago. Now that I have gotten to know the woman you have become, I love you more and deeper than those words express." He admitted with feeling.

"May I keep it?" She asked hesitantly, "Or is it to personal."

He did not hesitate at all, "Of course you may keep it. Everything I way is yours now."

She stuffed the letter in her vest.

"I found it in Regina's chamber. She must have found it in my room. I hate the idea that Regina read something so personal." He stated with fury in his voice.

She gave him a loving look to let him know that she understood his anger.

"James why were you in Regina's chamber? And why were you wearing a cloak?" She asked puzzled.

He was reluctant to tell her about his father's death.

"I know that something is going on here. I have been sitting in the forest watching the palace for over a day trying to sneak in, but there have been too many people coming and going." She informed him.

"Nice outfit, by the way." He gave her an appreciative look.

"Thank you," She blushed, "But you are avoiding my question." Snow challenged.

"Snow, my father is dead. He was killed in a supposed hunting accident. I know that Regina and your father had a hand in his death. I was looking for anything to link her to the accident." He sighed wearily.

"King Leopold is dead? That cannot be, he was such and benevolent and noble man." She sobbed, "He was always so kind to me. I will miss him a great deal. Regina has taken both of our parents from each of us. She must be stopped!"

"She will be stopped, but you have to promise me that you will not go after her alone. At the end of the month I am inviting alias to the castle for a war counsel. At that time I hope to have evidence against Regina and King George concerning the murder of my father." He informed her.

"Why wait until the end of the month?" She asked and then she answered her own question. "Of course, that is when you will be crowned King." She exclaimed.

"Yes, my coronation is scheduled by the end of the month. That is why I did not want anyone to know that I was back. I didn't even tell Ella. Snow as soon as the other nobles realize that I have returned they will insist that I start preparations for my Coronation." He sighed.

"Of course it is you duty." She replied.

"Snow, when I am King I can properly protect Emma." He vowed.

"Snow, they will expect me to choose a queen before the Coronation."

"Oh! Do what you must to become king and protect my sister. That is the most important thing right now. I will love you forever regardless of who you take as your queen" She exclaimed sadly. Her resignation scared him.

He looked at her with a mix of bewilderment and disappointment "You would actually stand by and while I married another woman?" He tried to hide the shock he was feeling.

"I would be perpetual unhappy," She admitted, "It is more important now than ever that I protect William and Emma until she can claim her crown and that will not happen for a year." She reminded him.

"Snow, I cannot wait a year. Why must we always put the needs of others before our own needs?" He asked sadly.

"That is who we are." She stated. "Have you seen your father?" She asked.

"Not yet. His body will be on view in the main audience chamber. Will you go with me?" He pleaded.

"Of course," She replied lovingly. "Are you strong enough?" She gave him a worried look.

"Physically I am fine, but I am not sure if I am up to it emotionally." He admitted.

She gave him a loving look, "We will do it together." She promised as she gave him a reassuring kiss.

"Hand me those cloaks," He indicated two garments hung over a chair, "We cannot afford for you to be seen and I do not want anyone to recognize me either. I am not ready to become the Crown Prince just yet." He gave her a quick smile.

She helped him put on the cloak and then threw the other one over her head and shoulders. She helped him to the grand chamber where the King's body was on view. They were surprised to find that no guard was on duty outside the chamber door. Similarly, the grand chamber was empty except for two guards keeping watch over the body. Snow felt James tense up.

"I hoped that there would be more mourners and we would be able to blend in with the crowd." He whispered to her.

They cautiously approached the body and then she felt James relax at her side. He pulled down his hood and a grin spread across his face.

"James!" One of the guards replied in a surprised manner.

Snow gave him a worried look.

"These are Charles and Robert. I would trust them with my life." He informed her. "I would thrust them with your life as well." He added.

"Your majesty is too kind." Robert replied rather formally and then broke into a grin and extended his hand to James.

Snow lowered her hood.

"We expected to find more mourners." James informed his friends.

"The chamber tends to empty out at dinner time." Charles replied wearily.

Snow White suddenly became aware of how hungry she was. She could not remember the last time she had eaten a proper meal.

"I wonder how much that is costing the Crown." James wondered out loud.

"It is costing a pretty penny to feed them all to be sure. The way the mourners from the surrounding kingdoms show up around meal time you would think they were all starving?" Robert shrugged.

"Many of them probably are starving!" Snow pointed out with more anger in her voice than she had intended.

It was an honor to view the body of a royal and many people traveled to the neighboring kingdom to do so. However, since the body would only be on view for a short period of time, most people did not have time to properly prepare for the journey. The inns quickly filled with the more wealthy travelers. Those with less means camped in groups along the road and relied on handouts to fill their bellies while they traveled. Snow felt guilty for thinking about her own hunger when so many others were probably feeling just as hungry.

"Forgive me your majesty. You are correct." Robert replied humbly.

Snow was taken aback by the respect in his voice. She wondered if it was because she was a princess and they knew her by reputation or if it was because she was with James. She suspected that it was because she was with James. She was just starting to realize how much respect he held with so many people. James squeezed her hand in a reassuring manner.

"What can you tell us about my father's death?" He asked his two friends.

Robert and Charles exchanged looks.

"We have been told very little. As you must have heard, your father was out with a hunting party on King George's estate. Something frightened the horse your father was ridding and your father was thrown. It was a particularly treacherous path and the King rolled down a rocky embankment. He was killed instantly." Charles winched as he reported the details.

James was visibly shaken by the details.

"Is there anything else I should know?" He asked them both.

"A may not be important." Robert started.

"Everything is important." James encouraged.

"I did not witness this myself, but I trust the word of the man who did. Regina ordered a legion of men to the south. When she was reminded that only the King can issue such orders, she informed the guard that the King was dead. This was before any word had reached the palace of your father's death.; Is was almost as if she was expecting it." He dropped his eyes to the floor.

Snow gasped in surprise and held on to James tightly.

"I suspected no less." James sighed, "How much longer are the two of you on duty?" He asked his friends.

"For 3 hours more." Charles informed him.

"Good, this evening I want you both to depart for the Northern Outpost and guard those there with your life." James informed them.

"Emma." Snow whispered under her breath.

"I want you to take the Princess with you." He indicated Snow. "I will keep her hidden until you can depart."

Snow's eyes grew wide in disbelieve.

"What?" She cried out. "I am not leaving you!" She protested with defiance.

"Snow, you have to. Regina is even more dangerous than we thought. She is using Black Magic. I found a book in her room. That is how she has been controlling your father all of these years. She used the Curse of the Empty Hearted on your father! "James cried out in desperation.

Snow's face turned pale.

"If Regina used magic on my father can he be saved?" She gasped the question.

James shook his head sadly, "He has been under the curse for too many years. She has drained his heart of any true affection. I am sorry Snow." Tears formed in his eyes. "You must understand why I want you to leave. I have lost so much. Snow, I can't lose you too."

She looked towards the dais on which rested the body of King Leopold.

"She has taken all of our parents from us." She stated in a detached voice as she approached the body of the King.

James looked over at the two guards, "Can you give us a moment?" He asked.

They nodded in agreement and stepped right outside the door.

James walked up behind her and placed a hand lovingly and supportively on her back. It was the first time he had seen his father since his death and he found himself overcome with emotion. His father had always been his biggest supporter and he had relied on him for so much. He noticed that Snow was shaking and weeping as well.

"He was so good." She sobbed.

"I know," James smiled as he put a protective arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him.

She turned to him; a sudden idea had come into her head.

"James do you think that maybe Regina cast a spell on King Leopold?" She asked with hope in her voice.

He remembered the Sleeping Curse from the book in Regina's room. It was the only Curse that fit. That Curse could be broken with the kiss of a powerful love.

"Any Curse can be broken with powerful love. Kiss my father and we will see if he is indeed under a curse." James encouraged.

She looked at him surprised.

"Your kiss would be more likely to break a curse. You are his son." She stated in a matter of fact manner.

"My father loved you like the daughter he never had." James told her with feeling in his voice.

He could tell that she was truly touched by his statement. She bent over and lightly, but lovingly kissed the king on the cheek. James bent over and kissed his father on the other cheek. They both held their breaths and waited to see if the king would wake up. They waited several minutes and nothing happen. They had known in their hearts that it would not work, but they felt that they had to try anyway.

"He is truly gone." Snow stated sadly.

"Yes, he is truly gone." James admitted.

"I will miss him terribly." Snow admitted.

James nodded his head. He was too overcome with emotion.

"And you will be King." She added with finality.

He looked up at her and overcame his sadness.

"You will be my Queen, Snow. I will not have it other way." He stated with a forcefulness that startled her.

"James!" She replied reluctantly.

"The last thing my father said to me when we parted ways before his death was to follow my heart." He stated firmly. "Snow, you are my heart. He knew how much I loved you. He even told me that he wanted us to get married." He gave her a heartfelt smile.

"When did he tell you that?" She asked his an earnest look on her face.

"He mentioned that he had always held out hope that the two of us would marry the night your father announced your engagement to William. I think you broke my father's heart nearly as badly as you broke mine." He smiled sadly.

Snow looked towards the body of the King.

"Did he know the truth before he died? Did he know how much I love you?" She asked.

"Yes he did and that was when he told me to follow my heart." James informed her. "So, what do you say? Will you marry me, be my queen and become the mother of my many children?"

He asked with a hopeful look on his face.

She gave him a skeptical look, "How many children?" She asked.  
"That is open to negotiation." He grinned.

"Well, in that case I accept." She smiled shyly.

"I love you so much." He said with adoration in his voice as he moved closer to kiss her. They both their eyes and leaned into the kiss. Suddenly they were pulled apart. When they opened their eyes they saw that four guards were holding onto James and another two had Snow by the shoulders. They wore hoods and helmets that masked their faces.

"Take her to Regina, the Queen wishes to deal with her personally." One of the guards holding onto James commanded. He was clearly the head guard.

"What about the reward?" The guard holding Snow asked.

"Consider your life your reward." The head guard replied.

Snow addressed the head of the guards, "I am the one that you want. Let him go." She demanded with authority.

"No!" James yelled. Then he noticed the way one of Snow's guards was holding his hands. It made James want to laugh.

"You are going to be all right!" He yelled to Snow.

The two guards started to pull her out of the room.

"James!" She called out desperately. "I love you. I will find you."

"I love you too. No matter what, I want you safe!" He yelled back as her guards dragged her out of the room.

"Where are you taking me?" James asked.

"There is a cell with your name written on it." The guard sneered.


	13. Chapter 13

I hope that people remember this story. I know it has been a while since it has been updated.

Chapter 13 The Princess and the Toad.

James watched as the two men took Snow White out of the grand chamber and he let out a sigh of relief. She would be safe and that was what was important. To say that she would be unhappy with him was an understatement. She was going to be livid with him. He tried to convince himself that it did not matter how she felt as long as she was safe. Of course that was a lie. He loved her and he wanted her to be happy. However, at the moment, her safety was paramount. As he was led out of the grand chamber by the masked guards James took a final look at his father lying in state on the raised platform in the center of the room. The setting sun cast an eerie glow and illuminating the room. The scene was not unlike the one that James has encountered in the summer palace when he was 12 years old and Snow had collapsed. That day he had been terrified that she might never recover and he would have to live his life without her. Seeing his father in a similar state and knowing that it was really the end for the noble King, James felt no fear. He was at peace with his father's death.

James was right about one thing, Snow White was livid when it was revealed to her that the two men who had abducted her where actually Robert and Charles in disguise. They had removed their helmets as soon as the three of them were safely away from the palace.

"Why didn't you help James?" She demanded angrily.

The two men exchanged looks.

"He ordered us to get you to safety." Charles answered somewhat hesitantly.

"That was before he was in trouble!" Snow shot back.

"He is our King and you are…" Robert allowed his voice to trail off before he finished. What he was about to say would have been indiscrete.

A shocked and hurt look crossed Snow's face as she completely misunderstood.

"What am I exactly?" She asked with her voice tinged with anger. "Am I his concubine? Am I just the insignificant girl? Am I an Incidental?" She asked with rising hostility in her voice.

Charles and Robert exchanged looks.

"No, you are…" They began.

"What?" Snow demanded.

"Robert and I have known James for a very long time. We have never seen him form the type of attachment that he has for you with anyone else. You are the most important person in his life. You heard him back at the castle you are the mother of his future children. When he instructed us to get you to safety he was giving us the most important task of our lives." Charles admitted.

Snow considered his words carefully. She was not unaffected by them, but she also found them to be selfish and self-serving. Was she really supposed to allow them to lock her away where she would be safe and allow James to be tortured and maybe even die in the process? Safe was not some far away outpost. The only truly safe place was the arms of the man she loved or at least fighting at his side.

"Unless we go back and help James, their will be know future children. That will be the end of his line, do you understand me?" Snow asked urgently.

The two men exchanged looks.

"We hadn't thought of that." Robert admitted.

"It is getting late. We will have to camp here for the night. I am sorry that the conditions are so primitive your majesty, but all of the inns are full with visitors traveling for the Kings funeral.

Snow looked around. Many people had set up camp in a large meadow. It was near A stream and on the edge of the forest. There were tents and fires. Children ran free and there was a sense of celebration and community. She had spent the last several nights sleeping alone in trees. To her the camp seemed like heaven.

"We can rest for a few hours and then go back and rescue James." She forceful suggested.

The two men exchanged another look.

"We will sleep here tonight and then in the morning we will convey you to the outpost and then the two of us will return to check on James." Charles countered.

"That could be too late!" Snow pleaded, but she could tell by the expressions on their faces that her pleas fell on deaf ears.

She crossed her arms in defiance and glanced around the camp. There was a small patch of wild flowers growing nearby. An idea entered her head.

"May I go and pick some pf those flowers?" She tried to act casual.

"Yes," Robert agreed, "But stay where we can see you." He instructed.

"Am I your prisoner?" She asked sharply.

"No, of course you are not a prisoner." Charles promised. "It is for your own safety. We do not know who those men where that tried to abduct you and took James."

"I did not recognize them." She agreed. "Where you able to get a good look at any of them?"

"Only the two that we over powered." Robert answered wearily. "We know most of the solders of the surrounding kingdoms. Those mean were not from around here."

"The way they were dressed was frightening." She commented with shivers. "Someone is raising an army." She added. She suspected that she knew who that someone was and that made it more urgent for her to rescue James.

Snow walked over to the flowers and started to pick them. She was fortunate that her mother had trained her to recognize different types of plants. She knew the flowers were valerian, a mild sedative that when made into a tea would render her guards unconscious and give her time to escape and rescue her prince. Every few minutes she would look back at the guards. They were watching her but pretending they were doing nothing of the sort. They were fiercely loyal and under any other circumstances that loyalty would have been a noble quality.

She felt bad about tricking the two men because they were clearly loyal to James. But, the life of the man she loved was at stake and that made the stakes to high.

James looked around the dungeon cell and wondered who had brought him there. He hoped that he had not been betrayed by his own men. Whoever the solders were they had worn dark armor and had used black helmets to obscure their identities. He looked down at his shoulder and noticed that the wound was bleeding again. He had blacked out soon after being captured and so he had no way of knowing how long it had been since he had last seen his beloved Snow White. Judging by the amount of blood soaking through the bandages that Snow had applied, it had been a while. James tore a strip of cloth off of the bottom of his tunic and wrapped it around his shoulder blade. He used his teeth to pull the strip of cloth tight. He winched in pain and lowered his body to the floor of the cell.

"I will get back to you, Snow." He vowed out loud. He had no clue how he was going to achieve that feat, but they would be together some how, some day. He loved her too much to ever give up.

Around midnight the fires had burned down and most of the camp dwellers had fallen asleep or had passed out in a drunken stupor. She had spiked the drinks of her guards and they had fallen into a harmless sleep. They would wake in the morning, but she would be long gone by that time and on her way to rescue her Prince. Only he was no longer just her prince. As she wandered around the camp she realized that James was correct. Many of the people assembled had very little and yet they had uprooted their families and traveled great distances in order to honor their dead King and maybe to get a glimpse of their future ruler. She had never thought about what it meant to rule a kingdom. It was a enormous responsibility. In less than a month James would be responsible for the lives of ever man, woman and child under his rule. It was almost too much to consider.

Everyone kept talking about the future heirs the two of them were expected to produce. She had always dreamt of marrying a man who loved her more than anything on earth. She expected him to put her and their children first. How could she ask that of James when some many other people would be his dependents? It partially explained why her father had turned to Regina. She moved in and out of his life and she was not dependent on him. Maybe it explained why most Kings had concubines. There had been more women than she could count in and out of her father's chamber. Maybe it was impossible to expect fidelity from a man who had to give so much too so many. The idea made her heart sick. She would rather die than ever share James with another woman.

Regina stood by a table in her room and flipped through pages of her magic book until she found what she was looking for. She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. It was the letter that James had written to Snow when he had to return to his castle. Snow had dropped it outside of the cottage of the 7 Dwarfs. Regina had picked it up when she had attacked the cottage. She had realized that someday it would come in handy. Using the magic book Regina was able to cast a spell on the letter and rearrange the words to suit her plan. She changed it to make it seem as if James was asking his beloved Snow White to meet him at the Castile because he had escaped and was safe.

It would be a carefully laid trap to imprison the young princess. However, it was not a dungeon that Regina planed on using to hold the fair Snow White. The prison in which she intended to trap the future king's beloved would be prison of the mind. She reached in to a velvet bag and pulled out an apple. It was not an ordinary apple. It was a special apple that contained a powerful sleeping curse which Regina intended to unleash on Snow White and trap her in an unending slumber that would end when the princess was buried alive.

James sat in a corner of the dungeon and poked at a stale piece of bread. He knew he had to eat something in order to keep his strength up, but he could not bear to consume a morsel. He had spent hours trying to find anyway out of his dank prison. There was not a loose stone anywhere. He had not seen another soul either. He drifted in and out of sleep. Food and water was delivered while he was unconscious. He was about to give up completely and resign himself to the fact that he was stuck there until someone came to his rescue. Much to his surprise he did not have to wait long to be rescued. An even bigger surprise came in the form of his rescuer, who turned out to be his stepmother Regina.

"Regina, what are you doing here?" James asked while giving her a skeptic look.

"Rescuing you, King George has gone crazy. He wants to destroy everything that I love. Come, we must hurry." She helped him to his feet and led him from the cell.

James was too dazed and too happy to be free of the prison to worry about Regina's real reasons for helping him escape. He followed her out of the pit of darkness and was blinded by the light. It took him several moments to realize that he had not traveled far. He was in his own castle. He wondered how he had been so badly betrayed in his own home. Whoever had imprisoned him would pay dearly for their defiance.

"You need someone to look at that wound." Regina casually informed him.

She led him to his room and James collapsed on his bed. The bandages that Snow had used to bind the wound were on a nearby table. He removed his doublet and started to clean the wound and reapply the bandages. He noticed Regina giving him a hungry look and it unnerved him. She reached for his hand.

"I can help you with that." Her voice was smooth and almost hypnotic.

He jerked his hand away from her. He didn't want her to touch him. Not after everything she had done. The last person who had touched him had been Snow. Her touch lingered in his memory. The feelings she stirred in him fueled his imagination and gave him hope. Those feelings had kept him company in his cell. They had given him hope.

"I can manage." He answered coolly as he clumsily applied the bandage. He would have Ella help him apply it properly as soon as he found her. At the moment he needed to get Regina talking and maybe he could learn something about her plans. He had a feeling that they had been a long time in the making.

"Back in the dungeon, when you said that the King George wanted to destroy everything you love, where you talking about your love for me as a stepmother?" He asked her in a matter of fact tone.

The look she gave him chilled him to the bone. Her eyes were filled with lust and a sense of entitlement.

"Oh no silly boy my love for you runs deeper than that between a stepmother and her son." She was so close to him that he felt like a trapped animal.

"You were married to my father." He gasped, finally understanding her meanings. He had intended to trap her get her to admit to her plans. Only he is the one trapped as much or more so than when he was in the dungeon cell.

"You are the one I have always wanted, James. I've loved you forever. I have watched you grow into a desirable young man."

"But, you're old!" He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. The last thing he needed to do was anger his stepmother.

"Not that old sweetie, I still have cravings." She almost purred the words.

She had poured two cups of some kind of liquid from a decanter and she offered him one of the cups.

He felt tired and hungry and as if the blood was draining from his body and not just because of his wound. He felt cold and his body started to shake. He could hardly hold the cup she offered him. He could not remember how long it had been since he had anything to eat or drink. He was incredibly thirsty.

"I know that you killed my mother to marry my father." His said with fury in his voice. He slammed the cup down on the bedside table.

"So someday we could be together." She cooed and moved towards him. "Your father is dead and you are in need of a queen that your followers will accept. Let me be your queen and together we will be unstoppable!" She promised

He felt his stomach rebel. It was beyond sickening. He had been a boy when she worked her way into their lives. Surely, she hadn't been planning on seducing someone 10 year younger than her? For goodness sake, he was a frog at the time. He had been vain and selfish and full of emotional warts. Until Snow had kissed him two years after the Queen became his stepmother. He thought of Snow now and his heart ached to be with her.

"I love Snow White and I am going to marry her! As soon as I get my strength back I'm going to find her and I won't let her marry any other man. You will NEVER be my Queen, Regina!"

The Queen sneered. "Thank you! I needed to hear you say those words. Well, here's to your health and a speedy recovery." She handed him the cup again and raised her glass in a toast and watched as he drank his cup empty.

The last thing that James remembered was her sneer as she tried to hide it behind a smile. He knew he was in trouble when the room started to spin.

When Snow White had set out to rescue her prince she had resigned herself to the fact that she would have to do it alone. She couldn't ask Robert and Charles to help. Their first allegiance was to follow the orders of their ruler and he had instructed them to take her to the outpost in the north. There were very few people left in the kingdom she trusted. She felt very much alone. That feeling did not last long and soon she found herself surrounded by friends. First of all, there was the horse in whose capable hooves James had placed her when he had sent her off to stay with the 7 dwarfs. She had never gotten the chance to ask James the name of the horse so she had started to call him Cupid. He seemed to like the name. Cupid and Snow had soon been joined by other friends seven other friends to be exact. Snow and her trusty steed had come upon the 7 dwarfs in a small clearing by a stream. They stopped to rest and catch up on what each of them had been up to since the Queen's men had raided and burned the cottage of the 7 dwarfs.

"I am so sorry about what happened." Snow informed her friends. "As soon as James is crowned king we will make it up to you. We will build you a cottage where ever you would like." She promised.

The boys exchanged a look between then and then Grumpy spoke for the group.

"What we would really like to do is to become your honor guard." He shyly informed her.

She looked around and saw that they other 6 were nodding in agreement. She smiled at them.

"I would like that very much." She agreed overwhelmed by their generosity and friendship.

They all looked up and saw that a large black bird was headed towards their small group. The bird landed on a rock near Snow White. She noticed that it had a piece of paper tied to one leg. She opened the paper and a smile crossed her face.

"It is from James. He is safe and waiting at his palace. He wants me to go to him." She jumped up excited and raced towards the horse. The others exchanged worried looks.

The first thing that Regina had done after she had knocked James unconscious was to take the letter that she had altered, the one James had written to Snow and send it by bird messenger to find Snow White. Then she had returned to the sleeping Prince. She checked to make sure that he was in a deep slumber. It would only last a few days, but it would be long enough to put her plan into action. She would lure Snow White to the palace and allow her to catch her beloved prince in a compromising position with his stepmother.

The second thing that Regina had done was to load her trap. She had gone back to where James was asleep and pulled back a quilt that covered his slumbering body. In order to make it look like the two of them had been together intimately she needed to undress him. However, the instant that she saw his wound oozing with blood she wanted to put as many layers of material herself and the blood. Regina striped down to her corset and climbed under the quilt with the prince. She tried not to actually touch him though. Regina wondered how anyone could lose as much blood as James clearly had lost and still be alive. The sleeping potion she had given him seemed to have slowed the blood flow. What Regina did not know was that the arrow James had been shot with was enchanted and it had been meant for the evil queen. It had been designed to slowly drain the life from her, however when Snow White had accidently shot her true love it had slowly begun to drain the life from him instead.

Not that Regina really cared what happened to Prince James. As long as he and Snow White were kept apart the prophesy predicting her downfall would be averted. All she had to do was wait for Snow White to arrive and then she would spring the trap.

She did not have to wait long. Snow White stood in the doorway with the note that she believed had come from James in her hand. She was shocked by what she saw. The man she loved more than life and the man she vowed never to share with another woman lay in bed with his stepmother. He was having an affair with the Wicked Queen who had killed his parents! Snow wanted desperately to look away but she could not avert her eyes. It was worse than anything she could have imagined. It was worse than the night James had survived the Dragon attack. It was worse than the day her mother had died. Snow felt numbness spread throughout her body. The note slipped from her fingers. It was indeed a cold and dark hour for one of the greatest love stories ever imagined. Yet it is always darkest and coldest before the dawn. There was no doubt that the sun would rise and true love would prevail. Regina did not realize that she was being watched. Two mice had seen everything from the moment she had brought James into the room. Even if she had realized that the tiny rodents were watching the tragic scene unfold she would have likely dismissed the importance of their presence. However, these were not ordinarily mice, they wore clothes, they were smart and they could talk. They were also the alias and constant companions of the palace kitchen maid, Ella, which meant that were extremely found of her best friend Prince James and they were not about to sit idly by while he was in danger.


End file.
